When Sam Liccardo was elected Mayor in 2014 he had an opportunity to bridge the gap that divided the City. He had been elected by a bare majority composed of the whiter, more affluent parts of the City. People of color in less affluent neighborhoods, largely on the eastside, voted for his opponent Dave Cortese.
During his first term, Liccardo made symbolic gestures that were an attempt at bridge-building. For instance, he held his State of the City address in East San Jose. During his first term the housing crisis worsened and the divide that separated the haves from the have-nots in San Jose grew, but it did not appear as though Liccardo was trying to make matters worse.
That pattern has changed in Liccardo’s second term. Since his reelection he has:
- Opposed a wage theft ordinance;
- Moved to sell valuable city property to Google without any firm commitment that the company would provide essential community benefits;
- Voted to add yet another white person from Willow Glen to the City’s Planning Commission, instead of qualified candidates of color from the downtown and eastside;
- Demagogued the immigration issue;
- Moved to demolish more rent-controlled housing; and
- Voted against efforts to increase voter participation, particularly among young and minority voters, in mayoral elections.
The pattern that emerges is of a mayor who opposes the interests of his black, brown and lower-income constituents, while actively gentrifying the city. To make matters worse, we are only four months into a four year term. Unfortunately, what lies ahead of us during Liccardo’s second term is an increasingly divided city.
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