When Magdalena Carrasco was elected in 2014 to the San Jose City Council, she brought the promise of fresh, ethical leadership to the neglected residents of District 5. For years they had suffered under the leadership that cared more about staying in power than taking care of East San Jose.
Carrasco has delivered on that promise. She has widespread support because she is smart and a good listener who has improved her district’s business community and the lives of its workers. District 5 voters should reward her in the June 5 election.
District 5 is one of the most diverse areas of San Jose. More than 40 percent of its population is of immigrant descent. Carrasco has put her 25 years of experience as a social worker to good use, teaming with District 3 Councilman Raul Peralez to open the city’s first office of immigrant affairs. It not only helps District 5 residents learn about services available to them, but also informs them on how to go about starting businesses in their community.
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Her commitment to her district is unquestioned. In 2015 she was urged by the Legislature’s Latino Caucus to run for the 27th Assembly District seat. But she declined in order to focus on improving public safety, getting residents more involved in district issues and helping family businesses stay afloat. She was a champion for increasing San Jose’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, beginning in 2019.
Her top priorities if elected are bringing more affordable housing to District 5 and encouraging more economic development with the anticipated opening of the Alum Rock BART station.
Neither of Carrasco’s two challengers, retired ironworker Danny Garza and communications director Jennifer Imhoff, come close to matching Carrasco’s political experience as a councilwoman and former East Side Union High School trustee.
Garza, the son of former San Jose City Councilman Al Garza, has for years been active as a volunteer in acommunity activities in District 5. But he would take the district back to the divisive, labor-driven approach of previous District 5 representatives. Imhoff’s libertarian views are not a good match for the city of San Jose as a whole, much less District 5 residents.
Carrasco still has work to do to help unify District 5. But there is a reason Mayor Sam Liccardo appointed her vice mayor of San Jose in 2017 — the first council member to be given that position from her district in more than 30 years. Her experience working for the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Services and First 5 Santa Clara gives her an unmatched depth of understanding of community needs. But she also gets the big picture, supporting Regional Measure 3 and Google’s proposed development downtown, which will improve San Jose’s transit program and improve its woeful jobs to housing imbalance.
It all adds up to making Carrasco the obvious choice on June 5 for District 5 voters.
