Two new members join San Jose City Council

The San Jose City Council will have two new members come January, who will help decide key votes on everything from the downtown Google project to affordable housing and transportation.

On Thursday, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters certified the November election results. Pam Foley is set to replace termed-out Councilman Don Rocha in District 9, while Maya Esparza bested District 7 Councilman Tam Nguyen.

“I’m very enthusiastic about the new council,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.

Foley squeaked to victory with 50.82 percent of the District 9 vote, pulling in 15,930 votes compared to challenger Kalen Gallagher’s 15,414.

In District 7, where Esparza lost to Nguyen in 2014 by only around 200 votes, she pulled in 54 percent of the vote, this time winning by more than 1,700 votes.

“I’m eager to get to work in January,” Esparza said.

Foley did not immediately respond to a voice message seeking comment.

Both school board members, Foley earned the endorsement of business leaders and the businessfriendly Silicon Valley Organization, while Esparza, who directs the nonprofit Destination: Home’s campaign to end veteran homeless- ness, has picked up support from labor groups.

While Rocha was typically a labor-friendly voter, Nguyen was more conservative, but often a swing voter.

Overall, said Garrick Percival, a San Jose State University politics professor who follows the council closely, “Citywide, I don’t think we’ll see a real clear impact moving forward when we’re thinking about the coalitions on City Council.”

But, he cautioned, new alliances are possible.

“Anytime there are new election, there’s potential for new coalitions to form around issues that we’re not talking about a lot,” Percival said. “That may form some inter- esting partnerships.”

Liccardo said he wasn’t interested in trying to pigeonhole either new member.

“I think both of these women are pragmatic and will look at the issues independently,” the mayor said.

At the district level, too, Percival added, constituents may see a shift in how key issues are handled.

With homelessness, for instance, Nguyen has endorsed the idea of sanctioned encampments while Esparza has worked to house homeless people.

“We might see some different approaches at the district level,” Percival said.

One thing is certain: the council will include more women. When Esparza and Foley take office, half the city’s districts will be represented by women, up from just three.

Voters approved three of the four ballot measures on San Jose’s ballot, among them an infrastructure bond measure that will funnel some $300 million toward repairing the city’s bumpy, potholefilled roads. Measure V, a proposal that would have funded affordable housing, garnered 64 percent of the vote, but narrowly missed the two-thirds majority needed to pass.