Sam Liccardo

Sam Liccardo
65th Mayor of San Jose
Assumed office
January 1, 2015
Preceded by Chuck Reed
Personal details
Born Samuel Theodore Liccardo
(1970-04-16) April 16, 1970
Saratoga, California, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Jessica Garcia-Kohl
Alma mater Georgetown University
Harvard University
Website Official website


Samuel Theodore "Sam" Liccardo (born April 16, 1970) is an American politician from California, currently serving as Mayor of San Jose.[1] Liccardo was elected mayor in November 2014.

Early life

One of five children to Salvador and Laura (née Aceves) Liccardo, Sam Liccardo grew up in Saratoga, California and graduated from Bellarmine College Prep. Liccardo studied at Georgetown University and earned his law diploma at Harvard Law School. Prior to his election to public office in 2006 he served as a criminal prosecutor in the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office.[2]

Political career

In 2006, Liccardo ran for San Jose's District 3 Council seat. After placing first in an eight-candidate June primary with 43% percent of the vote,[3] Liccardo went on to place first in the November runoff election, this time with 61.3%.[4] In June 2010, he won his reelection to the City Council with 80.16% of the primary vote.[5]

As councilman, Liccardo advocated for more high rises in San José’s downtown, including the construction of the $135 million, 23-story high rise at One South Market.[6]

In 2014, Liccardo ran for Mayor of San Jose to succeed termed-out Mayor Chuck Reed. He placed second in a five-candidate June primary with 25.7% of the vote[7] and placed first in the November runoff with 50.8% of the vote.[8] The mayor offered policy suggestions in a brief book, Safer City, Smarter Government.[9]

In his first year in office, he helped guide negotiations on an agreement with all 11 of city's employee unions[10][11] that could save the city $3 billion in pension costs over the course of three decades.[12] The agreement would replace a contentious pension reform plan, which has faced a series of legal challenges ever since voters supported it in a June 2012 election.[13][14]

The city has engaged in a number of efforts to expand its tax base. The city launched three new, direct international flights from the Mineta San José International Airport in 2016, with a fifth flight planned for September.[15][16][17] and Google,[18] Residents approved a quarter-percent sales taxes increase in June, 2016, with a vote of 62% in favor.[19] City officials estimate the tax will generate $40 million annually.[20]

The City also launched a youth employment program called SJ Works during Liccardo’s first year in office, with a goal of serving 800 youth and teens.[21] In 2016, the City allocated funding to expand the program to 1,000 participants.[22]

In March 2016, the mayor unveiled a Smart City Vision, with the expressed goal to make San Jose the “most innovative city in America by 2020.”[23] This vision received unanimous approval from the City Council in March,[24] and in June 2016 the city created an Office of Civic Innovation to meet its goals.[25]

Liccardo also advocated for ways to house the homeless, including rehabilitating two deteriorating motels, the Plaza Hotel[26] and the Santa Clara Inn.[27] According to a city staff report, such motel conversions represent a cost-effective way to house homeless households.[28]

On Veteran’s Day in 2015, he also launched a campaign to get homeless veterans off the street called “All the Way Home” with non-profit Destination:Home and Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese.[29]

Personal information

Sam Liccardo married Jessica Garcia-Kohl in 2013.[30] He was named for his paternal grandfather, who owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store in downtown San Jose, the Notre Dame Market. Liccardo is descended from the first Mexican settlers in the Bay Area, and is also of Sicilian and Irish descent.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "City of San Jose". City of San Jose. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ "San Jose, California Official website". Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Council District 3; City of San Jose Election Information June 2, 2006". League of Women Voters. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Council District 3; City of San Jose Election Information November 10 2006". League of Women Voters. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Council District 3; City of San Jose Election Information June 8 2010". League of Women Voters. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ Redell, Bob (2013-06-25). "One South Market High-Rise Building to Change San Jose Skyline". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  7. ↑ "Mayor; City of San Jose Voter Information June 3, 2014". League of Women Voters. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Mayor; City of San Jose Voter Information November 4, 2014". League of Women Voters. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Safer City, Smarter Government" (PDF). Samliccardo.vom. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  10. ↑ Ramona Giwargis. "San Jose: New legal challenge filed against Measure B settlement – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  11. ↑ "San Jose Reaches Deal with 8 Unions on Measure B Settlement". San Jose Inside. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  12. ↑ Nguyen, Chris. "San Jose reaches tentative agreement with unions on pension reforms". Abc7news.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  13. ↑ Louie, David (2013-12-23). "Judge hands down Measure B pension reform plan for San Jose city workers". Abc7news.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  14. ↑ "San Jose's Long and Winding Road to Pension Reform Takes Another Turn | News Fix | KQED News". Ww2.kqed.org. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  15. ↑ Ramona Giwargis. "Air China gets green light to launch flights from San Jose in June – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  16. ↑ George Avalos. "Apple sets stage for San Jose campus with 15,000 workers – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  17. ↑ "San Jose council approves agreement for Apple campus in North San Jose – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  18. ↑ George Avalos. "Google and Apple seal North San Jose property deals, in tech expansion – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  19. ↑ "San Jose sales tax passes easily, marijuana measure shot down". Bizjournals.lcom\accessdate=2016-12-01.
  20. ↑ Wadsworth, Jennifer (2016-06-13). "San Jose's New Budget Proposal Accounts for Sales Tax Bump". San Jose Inside. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  21. ↑ Ramona Giwargis. "San Jose Works gives troubled teens a second chance – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ Koehn, Josh (2016-03-17). "Mayor Unveils Ambitious, Vague Plan to Make San Jose 'Smart'". San Jose Inside. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  24. ↑ "San Jose approves Smart City vision aimed at using tech to better serve residents – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  25. ↑ Colin Wood (2016-07-05). "Office of Civic Innovation, New City Officials Help Further San Jose, Calif.'s Smart City Vision". Govtech.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  26. ↑ Ramona Giwargis. "San Jose: Plaza Hotel for homeless housing approved by City Council – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  27. ↑ Ramona Giwargis. "San Jose council approves using Santa Clara Inn to house homeless – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  28. ↑ "Subject: Funding Commitment to Abode Services for the Santa Clara Inn" (PDF). Sanjose.granivus.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  29. ↑ "San Jose, Santa Clara County Launch 'All the Way Home' to Get Homeless Veterans Off Streets". NBC Bay Area. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  30. ↑ "Pizarro: It's a 'Valley of Heart's Delight' wedding for San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  31. ↑ Scott Herhold. "Herhold: Sam Liccardo's roots go back to the beginning of California – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
Political offices
Preceded by
Chuck Reed		 Mayor of San Jose, California
2015–Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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