Jeff Suzuki, the 28-year-old Transportation and Complete Streets Commissioner and founder of the Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition, says his team knocked on 9,000+ doors during his campaign for one of three available Town Council seats.
The sweat equity seems to be paying off, as he turned that into 3,514 votes cast for him, putting him below Mayor Rob Moore, also 28-year-of-age, who leads with 4,466 votes—that’s 23.86% of the counted ballots—and above Rob Stump, the wildfire preparedness booster and Planning Commissioner, who’s at 3,353 and 17.91% of the vote, according to Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters data released Wednesday just before 5pm.
“My feet are blistered; my car has a flat tire—I’m not even exaggerating,” Suzuki said in a phone call earlier in the day. “There was a turning point, I would say maybe three weeks ago—or about a month ago—where practically everyone in my team knew that we were in a winning position and we just needed to continue that momentum.”
Suzuki said his anti-automated-license-plate-readers and pro-affordable-housing messages were really resonating with Los Gatans. Fittingly, he held his election night party at his parents’ house.
He recently attended his Los Gatos High School reunion, where he got a lot of great feedback on his platform.
‘People who work in this community should be able to afford to live here.’
Jeff Suzuki, Council candidate
“Many of my friends said, I like the fact that you’re running on this, because I can’t afford to live here,” he said. “People who work in this community should be able to afford to live here.”
In fact, his policy positions were so popular, he noticed other candidates adopting them as Election Day neared—particularly his critical view of Flock Safety and his YIMBY approach to development, he said.
Suzuki is 373 votes ahead of Incumbent Mary Badame (she’s at 16.78%—just 212 votes behind Stump, and a job extension). Steve Raspe was at 13.15% and 2,461 votes. Heidi Owens brought in 1,778 votes, putting her at 9.5%.
Moore said he was grateful for the supporters who showed up to vote for him.
“It makes me very proud of what we’ve been able to do over the last four years,” he said. “I absolutely love serving the Los Gatos community.”
The issues Moore says he heard about most while door-knocking were housing and traffic.
“If Jeff Suzuki ends up being victorious—which I am optimistic that he will—I think we’re going to be able to make a lot of progress on transit and transportation,” he said, recalling how Suzuki was his campaign treasurer during his successful run for Council four years ago.
The Los Gatan did not get a response to an interview request from the Stump campaign on Wednesday.
Measure N, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Bond proposal, had achieved 53% (6,825 votes) in support in Santa Clara County. However, it needs 55% to pass. Plus, it was being dragged down further by the Los Gatos residents in Santa Cruz County, who have voted 50.9% against the measure (792 voted Yes, 821 voted No).
