SAN JOSE, Calif. (CN) — Former San Jose mayor and longtime Silicon Valley politico Sam Liccardo is officially in the running for what could be the biggest Bay Area election in years.
Liccardo arrived at Santa Clara County’s registrar of voters office Friday to sign nomination papers and join the race for the 16th Congressional District seat. The spot recently opened up after longtime Representative Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from Palo Alto, announced she would not run for the position in 2024 after more than 30 years in office.
Liccardo signaled a likely run last month when he began exploring expanded campaign donation efforts. He said in an emailed statement Friday that his campaign will focus on what he called the region’s most pressing problems.
“Congress must act faster to address crime, confront homelessness and lower the cost of living,” Liccardo said.
The Bay Area seat, which represents Silicon Valley and much of the region south of San Francisco across San Mateo County, is looking very competitive.
Other candidates eyeing the seat include Assembly member Evan Low, a Democrat from Campbell who announced his run in a statement Tuesday. Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian announced his bid for the job last week on X, formerly Twitter. Palo Alto City Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims also announced her run Thursday on X.
Liccardo served as San José's mayor from 2014 until 2022, and led the city’s recovery during an economic downturn, flooding emergencies and wildfires in 2017 and rising homelessness. He has signaled support for big business, siding with tax breaks for downtown high-rises and a now-delayed push to sell public land to Google. He also spearheaded a groundbreaking gun safety policy — currently being fought by gun rights groups — to require San José gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee.
Liccardo served as an assistant district attorney out of Harvard University. After his mayoral term ended, he became a part-time lecturer at Stanford Law School. He is the senior adviser and counsel for California civic initiatives at San Francisco’s Ground Floor Public Affairs.
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