Carrasco replaced in favor of Jones
Mayor Liccardo announced his move to oust vice mayor and nominate his new selection on Thursday
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is shaking things up as he enters his second term as mayor of the nation’s 10th largest city.
On Thursday afternoon, Liccardo announced he was nominating District 1 Councilman Chappie Jones to serve as vice mayor, a blow to District 5 Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco, who served as vice mayor during the second half of his first term, replacing Rose Herrera who termed out.
“Throughout his tenure, Chappie has brought a thoughtful and independent perspective to this Council,” Liccardo said in a statement. “He’s also a natural collaborator who seeks to understand all sides of an issue and is well-respected by stakeholders across the political spectrum.”
The City Council is expected to vote on the nomination next Tuesday.
The choice comes just days after Carrasco led the first council meeting of the year for the mayor, who has been out since he collided with a car while bik- ing on New Year’s Day.
“Ma gd a l ena has done a great job as vice mayor and I’m particularly thankful for her willingness to pitch in over the past week as I recover from my accident,” Liccardo said. “She has been a great partner and I look forward to continue working with her to broaden prosperity and educational opportunity in our city.”
A former sales manager at Apple, Jones was born in Sacramento and moved to San Jose in the 1990s. In November, he ran unopposed for a second term. In addition to the council, Jones serves on
the VTA board of directors. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Davis and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He lives with his wife, Kelli, a high tech sales and marketing consultant, in the Murdock neighborhood. The pair have two children.
“I greatly admire and fully share the progressive vision the mayor has for San Jose,” Jones said in a statement. “I have worked diligently to establish an inclusive and innovative future for our city and will continue to advocate on behalf of its residents. I am humbled and proud to be given this new opportunity to continue to serve the City of San Jose and its extraordinary residents.”
In his statement, the mayor said he wanted to provide an opportunity for another member of the council to serve as vice mayor.
Terry Christensen, a professor emeritus in San Jose State University’s political science department, said that while Carrasco is generally more liberal than the mayor on some issues, turnover is not unusual.
“I think this is part of the normal process,” Christensen said. “I don’t think it’s that surprising, but on the other hand the mayor might want somebody who votes more consistently with him than Magdalena has and Chappie has been pretty consistently with the mayor.”
Carrasco broke with the mayor on several major issues, including project labor agreements that govern which workers companies can use for some public projects and the wages they must pay. The policy that was ultimately adopted was a compromise proposed by Jones. Carrasco voted against it.
In a statement of her own, Carrasco congratulated Jones on his nomination and said she’d been privileged to serve as vice mayor for two years, saying she was proud of the council’s work that had benefited her east San Jose constituents, such as assisting survivors of domestic violence and devel- oping a clean energy program.
“In the past two years, I have successfully worked to increase women and people of color in our local political representation at all levels,” Carrasco said. “I look forward to continuing my work in East San Jose pushing forward progressive policies that address the needs in San Jose.”