Supervisor, District 5
Why does this race matter?
This seat is open for the first time in 12 years, after incumbent Joe Simitian reached his limit of three terms. The winner will represent the suburban communities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino, Saratoga and Los Gatos.
What does a county supervisor do?
Supervisors govern county programs and departments and approve the county budget. Their largest area of spending is traditionally health care and human services. Supervisors are also responsible for local jails and elections, and they make decisions on law enforcement and housing in unincorporated areas of the county. If a supervisor candidate receives over 50% of the vote in the primary, they take office for a four-year term. Otherwise, the top two candidates face off in the November general election.
Candidates
Key Supporters
For Abe-Koga
- Anna Eshoo, U.S. representative
- Josh Becker, state senator
- South Bay Labor Council AFL-CIO
- County Employees Management Association
For Fung
- N/A
For Lieber
- Julie Lythcott-Haims, City Council member, Palo Alto
- Mountain View Housing Justice
- Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America
- South Bay YIMBY
More Santa Clara County Key Races
Supervisor, District 2
District 2 is located entirely within San José, so the winner of this Board of Supervisors seat will be the voice for the city’s downtown and East San José.
U.S. House of Representatives, District 16
High-profile Democrats from across the South Bay are jumping at the chance to represent reliably liberal communities from Pacifica to San José.
State Assembly, District 23
Lydia Kou’s sharp critiques of incumbent Marc Berman, a fellow Democrat, have the chance to turn this race into a referendum on policies passed by Democrats in Sacramento.
State Assembly, District 26
The district includes the cities of Cupertino, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale and is home to the headquarters of tech giants like Apple, NVIDIA and LinkedIn.