Candidate for
Mayor; City of San Jose

Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez

In search of better jobs and a higher quality of life, Cindy Chavez's parents moved to the Bay Area from New Mexico when Cindy was a young child. Her father was a carpenter and her mother worked as a teacher's aide, spending much of her free time volunteering in the community. Cindy attended San Jose State University, where her love of politics and commitment to community led her to a career in public service.

Directly after graduating from San Jose State University, Chavez became active in the San Jose community. She worked as a budget and policy aide on health, human services and transportation issues at the Board of Supervisors. Four years later, Chavez joined the South Bay Labor Council as Staff Director. During her tenure there, she helped to create and lead Working Partnerships USA; a collaboration between business and civic groups on issues affecting working families.

Few public leaders can count the kind of successes that San Jose Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez has achieved early in her public service: ground-breaking health insurance for San Jose's children, unprecedented construction of diverse housing, and a genuine city-schools partnership in downtown San Jose.

Chavez won her first election to San Jose's City Council in 1998 and focused on the building blocks of great urban centers: establishing standards for traffic calming, building affordable housing and promoting excellent schools. Four years later she ran unopposed for re-election and was named Vice Mayor during her second term.

Cindy Chavez marshals talent, resources and native ingenuity to improve the downtown neighborhoods and businesses that make up the heart of her San Jose district. She was instrumental in creating the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative which engages residents in redevelopment efforts and for which San Jose has received national recognition. She secured funds for rebuilding Japantown, one of the oldest remaining in the country. Chavez cut red tape for housing projects, recognizing that to attract jobs the city must build housing suitable to diverse family incomes. As Chair of the Valley Transportation Authority, Chavez is working to expand light rail systems and bring BART to San Jose and neighboring communities, a goal that will sustain and enhance the economic vitality of the city.

One of the greatest inspirations in Cindy's life has been her mother's commitment to working with kids in public schools. As a result, Cindy Chavez is passionate on the subject of education. She is a founder of Safe from the Start, a literacy, nutrition and safety program for children. She increased the number of homework centers in San Jose neighborhoods, providing after-school support and a safe alternative for kids likely to get into trouble. Chavez believes that all children should read at grade level by 3rd grade, a basic requirement for achievement in later grades and stemming the drop-out rate, and is working to make sure San Jose's kids reach that standard.

Often described as a "savvy" consensus builder and possessing a "down to earth charm," Cindy Chavez has also contributed to local high technology initiatives, the arts and guided the political participation of emerging ethnic communities. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Joint Venture, Silicon Valley Network and the statewide Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology. She also serves on the Boards of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte and American Leadership Forum. Chavez was named by the Business Journal in its 2004 survey of "Influential Women in Business" and serves on the Board of the Silicon Valley Women's Alliance. She is a recipient of the California Assembly's 2004 Housing Leadership Award and the Blue Cross of California's 2005 Community Service Award. Cindy Chavez was voted "Legislator of the Year" in 2005 by the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club.

Cindy and husband Mike Potter say their greatest accomplishment came in 2001 with the birth of their son, Brennan. Cindy, Mike and soon-to-be kindergartner, Brennan, live in the Naglee Park neighborhood of downtown San Jose.