Meet Cindy
Biography
Cindy Chavez is a current member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and former Vice Mayor of San José. She lives Downtown with her husband Mike, son Brennan, dog Buddy, and cat Jackie.
Cindy knows her hometown. She's a lifelong resident of San José and when you're running for Mayor -- a lifetime of local experience counts.
Supervisor Chavez's father was a carpenter and her mother worked as a teacher's aide, spending much of her free time volunteering in the community.
Cindy attended San José State University, where her passion for politics and commitment to community led her down a path to public service.
After graduating, Cindy worked as a budget and policy aide on health, human services and transportation issues at the Board of Supervisors. Four years later, Chavez joined the South Bay Labor Council as Staff Director. During her tenure there, she helped create and lead Working Partnerships USA; a collaboration of business and civic groups, focusing on issues affecting working families.
Chavez won her first election to San Jose's City Council in 1998 and focused on the building blocks of great urban centers: establishing standards for traffic calming, building affordable housing and promoting excellent schools. Four years later she was re-elected and named Vice Mayor.
During her two terms she doubled the park space in her downtown district. She also launched the Megan's Law Task Force. Working with a large group of community stakeholders, the city adopted recommendations to better inform residents about sexual predators in their neighborhoods, strengthened communication between state, county, and local law enforcement, and equipped San José Police Department with resources.
In March 2009 she became the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council represents 90 unions and over 100,000 union members in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. On her watch, the voters approved the first minimum wage increase in San José.
Cindy also served as the Executive Director of progressive policy think tank Working Partnerships USA which pioneered the Children's Health Initiative, making Santa Clara County the first in the nation to provide health coverage to every child.
Chavez was sworn into office as County Supervisor in August 2013 following a special election and has been re-elected for two full terms.
As Supervisor of Santa Clara County district 2, Cindy has been a fierce advocate for victims of sexual assault, a staunch defender of women's reproductive rights, a reliable partner of law enforcement agencies and the district attorney's office, and a responsive supporter of schools and educators.
Supervisor Chavez also serves as Chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and is a member of the CalTrain Board of Directors, taking a leadership role in the electrification of CalTrain and the planning for construction of a high-speed rail system. On the Board of Supervisors, Cindy chairs the Board's Children, Families and Seniors Committee and serves on the Finance and Government Operations Committee.
She's a commissioner representing Santa Clara County on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and serves on the Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors.
Most recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Supervisor Chavez to the Board of State and Community Corrections, a position which will require Senate confirmation.
Never has the City of San José seen a more qualified candidate for Mayor.