The race for governor is coming to a close with elections only a few weeks away, and Matt Mahan is making his media rounds, doing a briefing with ACOM to explain why he is the right choice for Governor of California.
Mahan, the current mayor of San Jose, gained political prominence as his popularity rose in the Bay Area city. He was reelected with a large margin in 2024 after being credited for reducing homelessness.
The San Francisco native now wants to bring a similar vision and plans for the entire state of California as a moderate candidate with strong backing from business and tech industry leaders.
“ I am the mayor of a very diverse city with over 1 million residents, and 40 percent are foreign-born, with 50 percent of our residents being able to fluently speak a second language,” Mahan said. “ I know what’s at stake in this election, I know what it means for the government to deliver on its promises with improved community, resources, and overall better living for residents.”
Mahan grew up in Central California in a low-income family. After graduating from Harvard University in 2005, he spent time teaching and working for start-up tech companies. Mahan became the City Council District 10 representative for San Jose in 2020. In November of 2022, Mahan was elected Mayor of San Jose. As Mayor, Mahan focused on the homelessness population and made great strides in decreasing the number of unsheltered people. There are 6,503 homeless residents in San Jose according to this year’s point-in-time count, up by 237 from 2023. About 2,544 people have shelter, compared to 1,929 in 2023.
One proposal Mahan has fulfilled is the creation of a city data dashboard. The dashboard scores San Jose’s progress on issues including clean streets and public safety.
On the topic of immigration, Mahan deems the system a failure and wants to completely remake it. “ We have to start with the acknowledgment of all the different people in our country. I think that local and national government failed us and failed each other and put vulnerable people in an impossible position.” Mahan is a supporter of the No Secret Police Act, a state law that would prohibit federal agents from wearing masks when conducting operations in public.
Mahan also wants to work with Trump and other professionals in improving and reworking the healthcare system to benefit the population, as the cuts have put people in sensitive positions. “ We need to work together to improve the quality of life for everybody, and it starts with using local and state budgets to fill the gaps from the cuts,” Mahan said. “ Truth is, healthcare spending in this country has grown rapidly, and we are going to have to get creative to maximize our resources to close that gap.”