Santa Clara agrees to appoint new member for District 5 seat

If council can’t decide on Patricia Mahan’s replacement, voters will choose

After concluding that Councilwoman Patricia Mahan’s District 5 seat is too important to keep vacant, the Santa Clara City Council has decided to appoint someone to fill out her term, which ends this year.

The council on Tuesday declared Mahan’s seat vacant and must fill it within 30 days. Mahan resigned Feb. 1, citing medical reasons.

Five of the six remaining council members must agree on the appointee.

If they can’t, the seat will remain vacant until voters pick a successor in this fall’s general election.

The city began accepting applications from residents of District 5 on Wednesday. The deadline

“I feel it’s urgent that the seat be filled immediately as opposed to waiting until November because of all the activity going on. I want to see downtown come to fruition before I die.”

— Mary Grizzle, District 5 resident

to submit them is 5 p.m. Feb. 28. At a special meeting on March 9, the council is scheduled to interview the candidates and possibly select one.

At Tuesday’s meeting, some residents urged the council to appoint Mahan’s successor rather than hold a special election or wait until November, citing ongoing issues in District 5, which encompasses Santa Clara University, a Caltrain station and downtown.

One of the speakers, Mary Grizzle, noted that residents are engaged in a planning process about how to revitalize downtown.

“I feel it’s urgent that the seat be filled immediately as opposed to waiting until November because of all the activity going on,” Grizzle said. “I want to see downtown come to fruition before I die.”

Residents also pointed to the city’s transition from at-large to district-based elections, a system in which voters select one council member to represent their part of town.

District 5 wouldn’t have a voice for several months if the seat is left vacant, they said.

Councilman Raj Chahal disagreed that other council members can’t effectively represent District 5 residents in the short term.

“Every council member, irrespective of our boundaries, will be helping each and every resident,” Chahal said.

Planning Commissioner Suds Jain said appointing a council member now would go against the intent of district elections because the appointee would gain an incumbent’s advantage in the

November election.

“It shows how not being in the ‘in crowd’ disadvantages candidates,” Jain said, suggesting that when the council sought to fill former Councilman Dominic Caserta’s seat in June 2018, it overlooked several minority candidates in keeping the council “all-white.”

Council members took offense at Jain’s argument, noting he was among the candidates the council tried to appoint that night but couldn’t garner enough votes.

“Do you have amnesia about what happened? The fact that you said that really blows my mind,” said Councilwoman Debi Davis, who made the motion at that meeting to appoint Jain.

Mayor Lisa Gillmor acknowledged the council may not have the votes to make an appointment but said leaving the seat vacant defeats the point of district elections.

“Now that we have six districts and this district does not have a representative, it changes the game,” Gillmor said. “I think those who are for districts are arguing against why we shouldn’t appoint, yet you’re for districts, so I don’t get it.”

Candidates will need to provide two documents as proof of residency. Completed applications will be accepted in person by the City Clerk’s Office in Santa Clara City Hall, 1500 Warburton Ave.

For questions, contact the City Clerk’s Office at clerk@santaclaraca.gov or call 408-615-2220.