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Cindy Chavez

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Cindy Chavez
Member of the
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
from the 2nd district
In office
August 30, 2013 – November 12, 2024
Preceded byGeorge Shirakawa
Succeeded byBetty Duong
Member of the San Jose City Council
from the 3rd district
In office
January 1, 1999 – December 31, 2006
Preceded byDavid Pandori
Succeeded bySam Liccardo
Personal details
Born (1964-04-07) April 7, 1964 (age 60)
Alamogordo, New Mexico, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
EducationSan Jose State University (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website
Other offices

Cindy Chavez (born April 7, 1964) is an American politician who served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors representing the 2nd district, encompassing parts of Downtown, East, and South San Jose from 2013 to 2024. Her public service career began in the 1990s as a policy analyst for health care, public health, human services and transportation for the Board of Supervisors. She served two terms on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor, and also served on the board leadership of public agencies such as the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and executive director of Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She has unsuccessfully run for Mayor of San Jose twice.[1][2] She is a graduate of San Jose State University, is married and has a son in college.

Career as Santa Clara County Supervisor

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As a supervisor, Chavez chairs the Board's Children, Families and Seniors Committee and serves on the Finance and Government Operations Committee. She also serves as Chair of the $400 million Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and is a member of the Caltrain's Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board Board of Directors. She is also a Director of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Chavez has led efforts to create jail diversion programs for mentally ill offenders and the homeless including sobering stations, crisis stabilization beds and mobile crisis teams.[3] She was the architect of Santa Clara County's successful $950-million dollar housing bond in the November 2016 election that will be instrumental in getting housing built for the mentally ill and homeless.[4] Similarly, Chavez worked to develop a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth, a large percentage of whom were kicked out of their homes.[5]

In 2017, Chavez joined the County in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration - Trump vs Santa Clara County - when the administration threatened to withhold federal funds affecting hospitals, social services and thousands of children, Seniors and the disabled. The administration targeted Santa Clara County for its "sanctuary city" status.[6] A federal judge ruled in Santa Clara County's favor.[7]

Under Chavez's leadership,[8] the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved bail reforms for low-level and non-violent offenders making Santa Clara County the first in the state of California to take action. The reforms are designed to reduce the number of people in jail and prompted the California legislature to take action.[9]

Chavez worked to streamline and improve Santa Clara County's foster care system to include schools and improve the dually-involved youth system merging child welfare with juvenile justice. Under Chavez's leadership, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved $6 million to build a new resource center for foster youth (The Hub)[10] to provide resources so they complete their education, apply to and get into college and get jobs and basic services.

She also is taking action against human trafficking with the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission she founded and co-chairs with the Santa Clara County Sheriff and District Attorney.[11]

Tenure on the San Jose City Council

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Chavez was first elected to the council in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. In 2005, she was chosen by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and confirmed by the council to serve as Vice Mayor.

As a former Downtown District Three Council Representative, Chavez chaired the Rules Committee and served on the Downtown Parking Board, Guadalupe River Park Task Force, Police and Fire Retirement Board, San Jose Beautiful and the SJ/SC Treatment Plant Advisory Committee.

Additionally, she served on local and regional bodies, including the Valley Transportation Authority as vice-chair, VTA Policy Advisory Board and Nanotechnology Infrastructure and Assets Subcommittee.

2006 Campaign for San Jose Mayor

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See also: 2006 San Jose mayoral election

In 2006 Chavez ran for mayor in a field of ten candidates hoping to succeed termed-out Ron Gonzales. In the mayoral primary held on June 6, 2006, Chavez qualified for the two-person primary against Chuck Reed.

Chavez out-raised her opponents and was the frontrunner in polls. Chavez secured high-profile endorsements including former US President Bill Clinton, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, the Silicon Valley Young Democrats, Congressman Mike Honda, former San Jose mayor Susan Hammer,[12] and former US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.

Ultimately, Chuck Reed led polls going into the run-off election and secured the final vote.

Public policy community leader

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Cindy Chavez has held several community leadership and academic positions.

Chavez served as the Director of Education and Outreach for the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. Chavez became the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council in March 2009. The South Bay Labor Council represents ninety unions and over 100,000 union members in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. The Labor Council's stated objective is to advance candidates, causes, and policies that benefit working families. In those interests, it employs a combination of activities including community organizing, leadership training, campaigning, and issues advocacy. The Labor Council is the largest grassroots political campaign operation in the South San Francisco Bay area.

Chavez helped found and was executive director of Working Partnerships USA, a labor-aligned advocacy group. The group lobbied for the Children's Health Initiative, making Santa Clara County the first in the nation to provide health coverage to every child. They also secured passage of the San Jose Living Wage ordinance.

Chavez is an occasional adjunct professor of political science and local civics at her alma mater, San José State University.

In early 2013, Chavez was elected as the vice-chair of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee.

Chavez served for three years as budget and policy aide to then Supervisor Ron Gonzales, the first Latino Mayor of San Jose.

2022 Campaign for San Jose Mayor

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Main article: 2022 San Jose mayoral election

Career moves after November 2022

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Following her narrow defeat for San Jose Mayor in November 2022, Chavez applied unsuccessfully for a job in San Diego. Instead, it was announced on June 25, 2024, that she was selected by a 3–2 vote as a new County Manager in New Mexico. Details still need to be worked out with no start date yet.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Walsh, Diana (2007-01-10). "SAN JOSE / Reed sworn in as mayor, vows to restore trust / He repeats Air Force oath: 'no lying, no cheating, no stealing'". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  2. ^ "Cindy Chavez concedes San Jose mayoral race to Matt Mahan". KRON4. 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  3. ^ FOX. "Santa Clara Co. supervisors further proposal to divert mentally ill from jail". KTVU. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  4. ^ "Santa Clara County property tax for homeless housing going to voters". The Mercury News. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  5. ^ "The Bay Area Reporter Online | South Bay supes call for LGBT shelter". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  6. ^ "'Sanctuary' cities: Santa Clara County seeks to permanently nix Trump's defunding order". The Mercury News. 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  7. ^ "County of Santa Clara Secures Historic Decision Halting Federal Defunding of "Sanctuary Jurisdictions" - County News - County of Santa Clara". www.sccgov.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  8. ^ "Editorial: What if you're innocent, but you lose your job because you can't make bail? Reform this system". The Mercury News. 2017-05-15. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  9. ^ "California's Bail System Is 'Unsafe And Unfair,' Study Finds". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  10. ^ "The Hub, a cornerstone for Santa Clara County foster youth, getting new digs". The Mercury News. 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  11. ^ "Combating Human Trafficking - District 2 - County of Santa Clara". www.sccgov.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  12. ^ Chavez Gets Nod from S.J. FilAms Archived 2006-10-18 at the Wayback Machine by Lance Cardozo Dwyer Philippine News May 17, 2006
  13. ^ "Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez lands new job leading New Mexico county". The Mercury News. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
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