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San Jose’s District 7 wants robust illustration to make sure the Metropolis Council continues offering desperately wanted companies to low-income neighborhoods.
Public security and homelessness prime residents’ considerations — with good cause. Town experiences that the district, alongside the Monterey Street hall, receives extra police calls than every other San Jose district. It additionally had the second-most homeless encampment sweeps in 2021 (61) of any San Jose district, trailing solely the downtown’s District 3 (108). Six of town’s districts had fewer than 10, and no different district had greater than 16.
Incumbent Maya Esparza is the very best candidate to deal with these points. Voters ought to reelect her on June 7.
We don’t all the time agree with Esparza. However she is a fighter who does her homework and works tirelessly for her district, which has roughly 50% Asian voters and 40% Latino voters.
She stopped the Police Division from utilizing the district to coach its latest and most inexperienced officers, pushed for elevated foot patrols and led the Metropolis Council’s effort to cut back site visitors deaths by putting in cameras at one of many deadliest intersections within the metropolis, Monterey Street and Curtner Avenue.
Esparza organized a District 7 beautification undertaking that eliminated greater than 1 million kilos of trash. She helped open a four-acre neighborhood backyard on the Viet Heritage Backyard and labored to reestablish neighborhood associations within the district.
She, way over her opponents, is educated about and ready to cope with town’s obtrusive homelessness and inexpensive housing points. Previous to her election to the council, she led the non-profit Vacation spot: House’s marketing campaign to cut back veteran homelessness in San Jose.
She additionally served as a trustee on the Franklin-McKinley College District Board and has native non-profit expertise, together with board president for Latinas Contra Most cancers. She is co-founder of Veterans Voices Santa Clara County and former commissioner on the Neighborhood Improvement Block Grant Fee.
Esparza has two stable challengers within the race, East Facet Union Excessive College District Trustee Van Le and San Jose Hearth Division Capt. Bien Dong.
Le is revered for her work on the East Facet board. As an proprietor of a State Farm Insurance coverage Company, she would carry enterprise acumen to metropolis management. However she has by no means been in a position to muster the political backing essential to make a severe run on the council seat, having did not even make the runoff in 2014 and 2018. She additionally completed a distant third in an unsuccessful 2016 run for the twenty seventh Meeting District seat towards the eventual winner, Ash Kalra, and former District 7 Metropolis Councilwoman Madison Nguyen.
Dong has the backing of the Silicon Valley Biz PAC. He has been a firefighter for 27 years. However his lack of political expertise raises questions on whether or not he would have a steep studying curve on the expense of District 7 residents’ many wants.
Esparza has made progress in attacking District 7’s many challenges. Voters would do nicely to reelect her to a different time period.