2022 General Election

Ash Kalra has been a consistent progressive vote for housing and tenant protections. His strong public support of bills such as SB 9, AB 1401 and co-authoring of SB50 and AB 854 highlight his strong positions on housing. As a member of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, Ash Kalra has relentlessly pushed for housing. He is more than willing to publicly call out local governments who operate with bad faith housing actions as examples of why strong state action is a required part of the solution for our housing crisis.

As a strong champion of justice, equity & progressive policies, YIMBY Action values Ash Karla’s well versed intersectional views of housing in relation to public health outcomes, transportation, racial justice, climate change and more. His championing of resources for the unhoused population highlights how he goes above and beyond to center those most affected by our housing crisis.

Evan Low has tremendously flexed his housing muscles by supporting SB 50, SB9, SB10, AB 1401 and virtually every housing bill that has come his way in the past several years. His solid voting record, and partnership with local housing organizations in his district—such as Cupertino for All–demonstrates a willingness to be a champion, despite representing a district that includes the traditionally housing-adverse communities of Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Willow Glen, and Campbell.

YIMBYs should work to elect more legislators like Evan–those willing to take risks, while also having difficult, culturally-sensitive conversations with their constituents.

Assemblymember Robert Rivas is a true housing champion in the legislature. He has sponsored numerous YIMBY Action priority bills including SB 9 and SB 50 and has advanced other bills related to zoning reform, permit streamlining, and increasing funding for affordable housing. He is deeply committed to safe, affordable housing for all of his constituents from middle class families to farmworkers.

As a City of San Jose councilwoman, Sylvia Arenas has moved solutions forward to protect families from eviction, preserve our existing supply of affordable housing, and produce more of the housing that San Jose desperately needs. As a Santa Clara County Supervisor, Arenas has big plans to create more affordable homes in the entire County. Arenas strongly believes that solving our housing crisis is going to require an all-of-the-above approach, an approach that would be welcomed at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

J.R. Fruen is one of the few candidates to receive an early endorsement from South Bay YIMBY. As one of the leaders of Cupertino For All and as a strong pro-housing member of YIMBY Action, J.R. would bring much needed change to the Cupertino City Council. J.R. has been on the forefront of some of Cupertino’s biggest discussions, projects and plans for more homes. J.R. is a true card carrying member of YIMBY Action who wishes to see the city excel and create a community for all to call home.

Jan Bernstein Chargin is well versed on planning and housing issues in Gilroy. Chargin cites specific examples of plans and improvements to make Gilroy an inclusive and diverse community to live and work in. She ties specific policies to the roots of why people need homes. Chargin also cites specific examples for the expansion of deeply affordable housing, specific plans, County partnerships and more. Jan Bernstein Chargin served on Gilroy’s Housing Advisory Committee and has spent time on a wide variety of housing policies to ensure everyone has a safe, stable place to call home in Gilroy.

Joseph Robinson roots his housing views in terms of dignity and how providing an affordable place to live is providing security and health to those who need it. Robinson highlights Gilroy’s need to meet its RHNA and has a vision of faster permitting, tenant protections and a proactive approach to housing on city council. Joseph Robinson is well versed in some of the issues that arise around building more affordable housing and how we finance them, alongside what it takes for a tenant to have an affordable home. Joseph Robinson’s approach is needed and welcomed on Gilroy’s City Council.

As a renter, Ronald Robinson shows strong commitment to solving our housing shortage. Robinson roots his values and vision for Gilroy City Council on personal experience. Robinson highlights zoning changes, prioritization of affordable housing, and a variety of housing types as key to Gilroy’s future. Robinson supports strong renter protections and is a personal, regular user of public transportation. Ronald Robinson Jr.’s personal experience, tied with his all above approach and knowledge makes him a strong YIMBY candidate for Gilroy City Council.

Running on a platform of making Los Altos affordable for its teachers, firefighters, and other local workers, Pete Dailey’s campaign is animated by his commitment to creating an equitable city.

Pete knows Los Altos cannot be truly inclusive or diverse unless people of all income levels can call Los Altos home, and, for this reason, Pete has been a supporter of mixed-income and 100% affordable housing projects like 5150 El Camino and 330 Distel Drive, respectively. In addition to backing streamlining and regional collaboration on funding, Pete supports dedicating City-owned land like one of its parking plazas to a non-profit so more affordable housing can be built in Los Altos.

Endorsed by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, the Santa Clara County League of Conservation Voters, and many former Los Altos mayors, Pete Dailey is a strong candidate to unseat an incumbent who consistently opposes housing. In the Los Altos election, voters get two picks for city council, and Pete Dailey is asking Los Altans to vote for him and former mayor Neysa Fligor.

Councilmember Anthony Phan deserves your vote for Mayor of Milpitas. Councilmember Phan has shown a strong ability to grow and learn more about the pro-housing movement. He has moved from holding a local control philosophy to supporting pro-housing legislation like SB50. Councilmember Phan believes that it’s important to have an inclusive framework for long range planning with a key emphasis on creating equity in housing opportunities. As mayor, he would support policies like ministerial approval, more affordable housing, and tenant protections.

We strongly endorse Alison Hicks for re-election. With a background in urban planning, Alison is passionate about reimagining public spaces to be joyful places for public life, best exemplified by Castro’s new pedestrian plaza. Alison also has heartfelt commitment to our least-resourced neighbors, being a champion for RV safe parking, COVID-19 rent relief, and the extension of rent stabilization to mobile homes.

A consistent voice for reducing the jobs-housing imbalance in Mountain View, Alison supports transit-oriented development near the Downtown Caltrain station, reducing costly parking requirements, and increasing staff capacity so the city can process housing projects faster. Most impressively, even at council meetings where there’s loud opposition to housing, Alison remains firmly pro-housing because she knows the lack of homes is the root of displacement in our community.

We proudly endorse Ellen Kamei for re-election. Ellen has lived in Mountain View most of her life, but also brings the broader perspective that comes with having lived abroad. She also brings in extensive experience from her work in all levels of government.

Ellen supports making it easier to live in Mountain View without a car, as many residents already do. Ellen also supports state legislation that encourages cities to accept more homes, including Mountain View and our neighboring communities that are less housing-friendly.

Mayor Lucas Ramirez has been a strong advocate for adding more housing in Mountain View. He championed the R3 zoning update, which has the potential to add thousands of units of zoning capacity to the city, so the city could study and solve the problem of missing middle housing not penciling out in the city. Lucas has supported virtually every important housing project in Mountain View, covering the full gamut of housing types from supportive housing to unsubsidized housing. As mayor, Lucas has worked tirelessly on the housing element to ensure Mountain View hits its housing targets and does so in a way that undoes patterns of segregation in the city.

A steadfast and studied advocate for protecting renters, Lucas has supported a local SB 330 ordinance to prevent displacement, rent stabilization of Mountain View’s mobile home parks, and rent relief during the onset of COVID.

Mayor Ramirez received an early endorsement from both Mountain View YIMBY and South Bay YIMBY. We enthusiastically support Lucas Ramirez’s campaign for re-election.

Julie is an author and educator who also happens to be a full-throated YIMBY in one of the cities that needs it the most. She is a fearless warrior who is running on a pro-housing agenda in the city of Palo Alto. We are excited and honored to support her.

Lisa Forssell is running to make Palo Alto a welcoming place where all generations thrive. Her top priorities are housing, transportation innovation, and sustainability. Palo Alto is a tough place to build housing, but we believe in the power of YIMBYs to get the job done!

Supervisor Cindy Chavez shows a strong distinction in her candidacy for San Jose Mayor. Supervisor Chavez has deep experience in advocating for additional housing funding for Santa Clara County, including Measure A. Supervisor Chavez has earned the endorsement of Councilmember Raul Peralez, our prior endorsed candidate for Mayor.

Supervisor Chavez brings a strong transportation background that would serve her well in San Jose region. Supervisor Chavez points to the City’s Housing Element as a key driver for how to maintain and create a more sustainable, inclusive and diverse San Jose.

Trustee Omar Torres has been an ardent supporter of opportunity housing and the similarly aligned state bill (SB9) since these initiatives became public. Torres believes exclusionary zoning needs to end and that the need to provide housing for all throughout our city is too great to be overly prescriptive as to where housing does and does not get built. Torres believes strongly in tenant protections and that San Jose must continue its current efforts to support renters.

Trustee Peter Ortiz is running a strong pro-housing, pro-equity campaign for San Jose City Council, with a track record of supporting housing opportunities and protections in San Jose. Trustee Ortiz has participated in the city’s Housing Element and supports in anti-displacement and tenant protection policies.

As President of the Santa Clara County Board of Education, trustee Ortiz is looking forward to working with school districts in San Jose to make sure that we identify and develop underutilized land for housing opportunities for working people. We are very excited about Trustee Ortiz’s campaign for San Jose City Council.

Councilmember Anthony Becker would be a breath of fresh air as Mayor of Santa Clara. Councilmember Becker shows a stark contrast to his opponent in terms of housing, supporting inclusive communities and a vision for what the City of Santa Clara can be. He has supported increased housing supply, at all levels of affordability, and his recent votes hold him to that. As a renter, Councilmember Becker has the experience of knowing what kind of long term stability is needed for community members. He would be a transformative presence as the next Mayor of Santa Clara.

As Greenbelt Alliance‘s Advocacy Manager and Vice-Chair of Livable Sunnyvale, Justin has more than proven to be a strong pro-housing, pro-climate champion. Justin is willing to push back on staff’s projections for affordable sites and believes ministerial approval is key to creating more homes for people. He brings significant knowledge of transit policy and regional planning, and deserves your vote and support for Sunnyvale City Council.

Richard Mehlinger is running for office on an exciting platform prioritizing building more housing and more affordable housing, clean and safe neighborhoods, environmental sustainability, and good governance. Moreover, we are confident Mehlinger will be an impactful advocate for cyclists and pedestrians, helping to make our neighborhoods more walkable and bikeable. Mehlinger has already served his community as as Chair of Sunnyvale's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission and Chair of Livable Sunnyvale, and he has been activate in the local Democratic Party.