Overview
“I am relentless about outcomes and equitable outcomes,” says San Jose mayor Matt Mahan, pointing to his extensive background in public service. "This is my life's work."
Matt Mahan, the Democratic mayor of San Jose, is running for California governor on government accountability, public safety, housing affordability, and homelessness reform.
He joins a crowded 2026 race that includes Democrats Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra, and Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco.
Recent polls show no clear frontrunner. Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton have led some surveys, while Tom Steyer and Katie Porter remain competitive. Mahan has typically polled in the mid-single digits statewide.
Under California’s open primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the top two advance to the general election.
Humble beginnings
The son of a schoolteacher and a letter carrier, Matt Mahan grew up in the working-class town of Watsonville, California. He attended Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose on scholarship and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University.
Before becoming mayor, Mahan taught middle school in San Jose through Teach for America and later worked on civic technology to increase public participation in government. He was elected to the San Jose City Council in 2020 and became mayor in 2023.
In a May 7 interview hosted by American Community Media, Mahan spoke of his experience leading a diverse city where more than 40% of residents are foreign-born and half speak a language other than English at home, saying, “I know what it means for government to work to deliver better education, safer neighborhoods, more affordable housing and utilities, and what it means for working families when government’s not working effectively.”
Immigration
Mahan says both parties failed on immigration and left vulnerable people “in an impossible position.”
“For decades, the country had a very porous border,” he said. “I think both parties were complicit and wanted low-cost labor.”
He supports creating a pathway to permanent legal status, “ideally citizenship,” while strengthening legal immigration and border security. “I’m a pragmatist,” Mahan said. “Pairing that with doubling down on the legal immigration system and having a secure border is common sense.”
Calls to abolish ICE, Mahan characterizes as symbolic statements, but said he understands the frustration and believes the agency needs “deep reform, if not a complete restart,” rooted in “an acknowledgement of the humanity of all of the people within our country.”
Mahan criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies in San Jose, saying, “We’ve sued the Trump administration a dozen times.”
In San Jose, he backed restrictions on ICE activity on city property and masking during operations, and increased funding for immigrant legal services. He also said ICE agents should be prosecuted if they violate California law. “And as governor, I will continue that fight.”
Mahan also called H-1B visa holders and other work-visa residents vital to California’s tax base and universities. “I really believe our strength in California is our ability to welcome, support, integrate, and create upward mobility and opportunity for a very diverse population of people from all over the world,” he said.
Mahan rejected nativist rhetoric and said his job as governor would be to ensure that all 40 million Californians, regardless of immigration status, have access to public services and opportunity.
“My wife is a child of immigrants,” Mahan said. “Her mom fled Cuba. Her father left Egypt. I really believe our strength in California is our ability to welcome, support, integrate, and create upward mobility and opportunity for a very diverse population of people from all over the world.”
Healthcare
After H.R. 1 reduced federal health care funding, Mahan worked with county supervisors to support Measure A, a five-year sales tax intended to offset some of the losses.
But he said the federal cuts are too large for local measures alone to close the gap, and proposed several innovations:
- Reducing administrative overhead, which accounts for 25-30% of costs in California.
- Implementing better audits and compliance checks to reduce waste and fraud.
- Expanding telehealth and allowing out-of-state providers.
- Allowing nurses and nurse practitioners to practice at the “top of their license” to fill gaps in rural areas.
- Using loan forgiveness to incentivize medical professionals to work in underserved communities like the Central Valley.
Housing
As the only millennial in the race, Mahan says California’s housing shortage is driving young people out of the state. “We’ve reduced homelessness by one-third in my time as mayor” by building thousands of homes, he said. “I’m tired of my friends moving away. My sisters both moved out of state. So many of my friends have left. We’ve lost a congressional seat for the first time.
Mahan said San Jose cut development fees and sped up permitting to increase housing construction. He also blamed California’s low homeownership rate in part on regulations and construction liability lawsuits that make condos difficult to build, and called for reforms to lower costs and make housing easier to build.
“This is really paralyzing the state and harming our ability to create opportunity for people.”
Artificial Intelligence & the Workforce
Addressing fears about AI replacing jobs, Mahan said, “In San Jose, we have done more than any other city to regulate technology.” He pointed to the Gov AI Coalition, a regulatory framework for ethical AI use now used by 900 cities and counties nationwide.
San Jose uses AI to improve services like bus routes and translation, but Mahan acknowledges, “The best way to manage technological change is to invest in human capital.”
He argued California should regulate tech companies “some of the biggest tax generators in the state,” without driving them away and losing jobs, tax base and innovation. “We tax them,” he said. “We make them pay the full cost of infrastructure and energy upgrades.” Instead of letting tech companies do as they pleased, he suggested they invest in the infrastructure of the future, while meeting the highest sustainability goals. His vision for California, said Mahan, was to use part of the tax revenue to support schools, infrastructure, and a “shared prosperity fund.”
He also said California should consider policies like Universal Basic Income if automation leads to major job losses.
Reparations and Racial Equity
Mahan said reparations are “legally and politically very challenging” to implement. Instead, he supports an equity approach focused on results in underserved communities. He said directing resources to improve homeownership, schools, and infrastructure in disinvested neighborhoods can help “disproportionately lift communities of color” affected by historical and institutional racism.
Silicon Valley Influence
Being called Silicon Valley billionaires’ candidate “has been a very convenient attack for my opponents,” says Mahan.
He said tech leaders have supported his campaign because they value results. “They’ve seen the incredible results we’ve delivered,” he said. “Most people in Tech really care about outcomes. They’re data-driven. They’re problem solvers. They want the government to work.”
Mahan added that he is the only candidate in this race who has actually regulated Tech more than the others. He supports bans on cell phones in schools, parental consent for minors on social media, and a “human in the loop” for decisions in healthcare, criminal justice, and hiring.
He is focused on outcomes, not ideology, said Mahan. “I am relentless about outcomes and equitable outcomes,” he said, pointing to his background as a public school teacher growing up in a low-income immigrant community.
“I’ve been in public service in one form or another. Even my time in Tech was all about building civic tools to empower grassroots organizers. So, this is my life’s work.”
