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Aside from District 9’s Pam Foley, who ran unopposed, Rosemary Kamei is the only one of the four new councilmembers taking office in 2023 who won her seat outright in the June 2022 primary. She got off to a good start once in office, with newly-elected Mayor Matt Mahan nominating her to serve as vice mayor. The choice makes sense given her experience on elected boards, since the ten-member council will have six new members (two appointed to fill vacancies) and a newbie mayor.
In addition to being Director of the Santa Clara Valley Water District for 17 years, Kamei has been involved with the community through various nonprofits, the business sector and serving on various government committees, including the Santa Clara County Board of Education. Prior to being elected to City Council, Kamei served as the Chief Development and Innovation Officer at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation.
Kamei holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Political Science, and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from San Jose State University. She and her family reside in District 1.
Notable quote: “I would be honored to serve as vice mayor to the San Jose community and be able to have the opportunity to bring my expertise in governance and leadership to the San Jose City Council.” (Source: San Jose Spotlight)
San Jose residents want a neighborhood improvement initiative to restart after it sunsetted last June due to lack of funding.
Latino members of the San Jose City Council are calling for more funding for undocumented immigrant protections as the incoming presidential administration threatens to ramp up deportations.
If no candidate receives a majority on April 8, the top two candidates will run against each other in a special runoff election on June 24. The winner will serve the remainder of the term through 2026.
Housing and business developers in San Jose avoid building public improvements by paying fees to the city, but this often leads to infrastructure projects slowing to a crawl.
