Office: Governor
Matt Mahan
- Political Party:
Democrat
- Ballot Designation:
Mayor, San Jose
- Law Enforcement Contributions:
None as of 4/15/26
- Background:
Matt Mahan has served as the Mayor of San Jose since 2023 and on their City Council since 2021. Prior to that, he worked as a teacher with Teach for America and launched a civic engagement social medium. As Mayor, he developed a reputation for his sweeps of unhoused encampments, often arresting unhoused people in the process.
- Public Safety Platform:
Mahan is also well-known for being a lead supporter of Prop 36, the 2024 ballot measure that greatly increased criminal penalties for minor offenses and criminalized drug use.
On his campaign website, he vocalizes his opposition to justice reform, stating: “Well-intentioned policies to reduce incarceration have too often given way to rising overdose deaths, retail theft, and street homelessness.” He also promises to fully fund Prop 36, noting “Proposition 36 created new felony pathways but did not supply the funding required to carry them out.”
- Website: