District 6

independent streak, has not endorsed a successor but has hosted candidate forums and an online survey that invites the contenders in the District 6 runoff to state how they would vote on issues as they come before the council.

He has generally aligned with the council’s businessfriendly bloc that includes Mayor Sam Liccardo, and labor interests see an opening for a more liberal voice like Oliverio’s predecessor, county Supervisor Ken Yeager.

Davis, who has lived in the district since 2008, touts her analytical approach to problem solving.

“We have to use all available data so we can spend our dollars in the wisest way to help the most people,” Davis said.

Chapman, on the other hand, said she’s spent 25 years serving on neighborhood associations and city commissions, making her better versed in the issues.

“Public service has been a part of my nature,” Chapman said.

Both Davis and Chapman support Measure F on the city’s November ballot. It would replace the 2012 pension measure with a negotiated settlement aimed at ending litigation over pension cuts while preserving savings from reduced city retirement costs that survived a court ruling.

While both candidates cite public safety as a top priority, they’d take different approaches to rebuilding the city’s depleted police force — which has shrunk from 1,400 officers in 2008 to 839 street-ready officers today.

Chapman would focus on boosting police officer morale, n Age: 56 n Education: Associate Arts degree, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising n Occupation: Community volunteer n Family: Married with two sons n Top three priorities: Public safety, affordable housing and environment n Fun fact: Chapman loves cooking, especially making homemade jams and jellies with local produce n Age: 38 n Education: Master of Public Policy and Master of Education, Stanford University n Occupation: Education researcher/businesswoman n Family: Married with a daughter and a son n Top three priorities: Improving public safety, strengthening neighborhoods and bringing more jobs to San Jose n Fun fact: Davis played oboe in her university’s orchestra on a scholarship which has plummeted after years of fighting over retirement and disability benefits. She also proposes rewarding new hires with a bonus if they stay with the department for a certain number of years — a tool to increase retention.

Davis suggests requiring new officers to sign a service commitment, which binds them to staying a number of years in San Jose. She also proposes hiring a police recruitment specialist and adding 25 more community service officers to assist with investigations, citations and paperwork.

While the women have politely sparred at candidate debates, each has accused the other’s supporters of “push polling” voters, a tactic in which surveyors ask questions that portray a candidate in an unflattering way. The candidates deny using such tactics themselves.

Fundraising has been close, with Davis having raised $70,096 and Chapman $66,893 in their most recent campaign filings.

Both candidates support Measure A, a $950 million housing bond on the November ballot to build affordable housing.

When it comes to housing some of the city’s 4,000 homeless residents, Davis supports outdoor encampments — an idea floated by some elected leaders but met with opposition from city housing officials.

Chapman is “open” to the idea but prefers shortterm housing solutions with a roof — such as tiny homes, though that proposal is mired in red tape from building code restrictions.

Chapman would support permitting “granny units” and amending state legislation to bring more San Jose apartments under rent control — which includes only 44,000 units today. Davis says rent control hasn’t increased affordability in other communities and that building more housing is the key to reducing rents.

The candidates differ on the city’s “Opportunity to Work” initiative, known as Measure E. If passed in November, it would require businesses to offer additional hours to part-time workers before hiring new staff.

Chapman supports it and says it can help struggling workers boost their wages, while Davis worries it creates more bureaucracy. scratching. Treated mice also had improved bladder function and produced more normal, voluntary patterns of urination in their cages.

A different research team is focusing on a fix for paralysis. This necessitates a different strategy, requiring treatment with stem cell-derived neurons whose job it is to conduct electrical impulses down the spine. And these cells may face a more daunting environment if injected directly into injured areas.

The first trial by Geron Corp. stalled in late 2011, mostly because of financial concerns. But a Fremontbased biotech company called Asterias Biotherapeutics, a subsidiary of BioTime, bought Geron’s intellectual property and is continuing the research. It recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a safety and early trial of the cells for treating spinal cord injury.

Meanwhile, the UCSF team is working to replicate its findings of improved bladder control and chronic pain. And the researchers seek to learn the best time to inject the cells. Funders for the research included the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

The team is hoping to scale up its production of their specialized cells with the goal of entering human trials, after proving to the FDA that their effort is safe.

“We are eager to move in that direction as quickly as we can,” Kriegstein said.