Santa Clara County candidates share plans to tackle homelessness

Candidates vying for two open seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors are sharing their plans for the region’s top issues: homelessness and housing.

Nonprofits PATH and Destination: Home hosted a candidate forum Wednesday moderated by those with lived experience. The candidates in Districts 2 and 5 discussed a number of topics including the financial limitations of affordable housing, policies that could help make living in the county more affordable and different models of temporary housing that included safe parking and sleeping sites.

Two candidates are running for the District 2 seat to replace Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who is terming out in December — Betty Duong, a first-time candidate for office and chief of staff for Chavez and former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen. Two candidates are also vying for the District 5 seat, with Supervisor Joe Simitian terming in out at the end of the year — Mountain View Councilmember and former Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga and Sally Lieber, chair of the State Board of Equalization. She was also a former Mountain View mayor and state assemblymember.

“Housing is a very pervasive issue,” Brenda Brown, one of the moderators, told San José Spotlight. “It is something that is uppermost on a lot of people’s minds. To be able to have a house, to be with their family and to commune with them in peace is an American dream. There is no reason why anyone should be denied that.”



https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-board-of-supervisors-candidates-share-plans-to-tackle-homelessness-election-2024/