Herrera well ahead in District 8
Khamis opens up lead over Braunstein in Almaden Valley
Incumbent District 8 San Jose City Councilwoman Rose Herrera had a solid lead against newcomer Jimmy Nguyen in incomplete returns Tuesday night, while the contest between two businessmen in Almaden Valley was much closer.
Herrera, who had supported Mayor Chuck Reed’s Measure B pension reform and infuriated employee unions, knew her race against Nguyen— who embraced the support of independent expenditure committees backed by unions — would be tough. While pleased by her early lead, she knew they were only based on initial vote returns.
“It looks good right now, and we’ll just have to see how the rest of the evening goes,” Herrera said. “I’m grateful for the people who have supported me, and it says a lot about the Evergreen community.’’
Unions blamed the ballot measure — passed overwhelmingly by San Jose voters in June — for the number of police offi cers who have fled the city for better- paying jobs elsewhere, and in their absence, rendered San Jose police ranks struggling to respond to a recent surge in crime.
“She’s been there for a long time and what has she done? Nothing. Crime has gone up ,” said Carlos Castro, a 64- year- old retiree and District 8 resident who voted Tuesday. Yet as she sought to win her second term, Herrera, 59, argued that pension reform and pay cuts were needed to avoid deeper layoffs.
Nguyen, 35, a freshly minted attorney , said Measure B violates employee rights and that the city should have negotiated a pension solution with its unions. He said crime is on the rise because cops are leaving.
But Paramjeet Singh Thind, 32, of San Jose, was loyal to Herrera. “Jimmy is the new guy,” he said. “He’s not clear what he’ll do for the community.”
Meanwhile, in the District 10 race, financial adviser Johnny Khamis held a narrow lead over sportscaster Robert Braunstein in early returns.
Khamis said he was “very hopeful” of the early numbers, but added, “If we could get a couple more percentage points ahead of my opponent, I’ll be more relaxed.”
Both men were endorsed by the San Jose/ Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, but Braunstein also received the backing of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, which led Khamis and others to question whether the union’s influence would weaken Braunstein’s resolve to impose Measure B, if elected.
Braunstein said he accepted the police union’s backing, saying he would improve the bitter relationship between the union and the city over the measure. He proposed to restore pay cuts to police. Khamis, endorsed by Reed, also supported giving the officers a raise. But Khamis questioned how Braunstein, who proposed neither a tax increase nor cuts, could do that when the city faces multimillion- dollar deficits.
Braunstein argued that the money will become available as the economy improves, property taxes rise and the benefi ts from Measure B kick in. Staff writer Julia ProdisSulek contributed to this report.