There are several LGBTQ and straight ally candidates running for municipal seats on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. Significantly, there is also a rare open congressional seat that straddles San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Below are our recommendations.
Congress
We endorsed gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino) in the March primary, and since then it's been a roller coaster of a ride. Weeks after the primary, elections officials were still tabulating votes among Low, former San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo (D), and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian (D). Liccardo took first place, but amazingly, there was a tie for second place between Low and Simitian. It looked as though all three candidates would advance to the November election. But then, a former Liccardo staffer requested a recount on behalf of Low. Low cried foul, saying he never asked for a recount, and it turned out former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg bankrolled much of the cost. In the end, Low defeated Simitian by five votes and will face Liccardo November 5.
The 16th Congressional District seat is open because Congressmember Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) decided not to seek reelection after serving in Congress for 31 years. The unusual open seat means that it's been a battle between Liccardo and Low, who, if elected, would be the Bay Area's first out congressional member.
Suffice it to say, we continue to support Low during what has become an increasingly bitter fight. As we first reported online Monday, there was a debate October 11 sponsored by several media organizations. The two candidates criticized each other over everything from police staffing levels in San Jose to campaign funding.
We endorse Low because of the legislative experience he will bring to Congress. In the 10 years Low's served in the Assembly, he's demonstrated that he can work across the aisle — he noted in the debate that he co-authored the Proposition 3 same-sex marriage legislation that passed with Republican support. Voters will determine next month whether to rid the state constitution of the "zombie" language from Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban Californians approved in 2008. (Prop 8 was eventually found unconstitutional but the language remains embedded in the state's governing document.)
"I intend to work in a bipartisan manner just as I have in the past to find consensus and build relationships across the aisle that will be critical in delivering results for CA-16," Low stated in his endorsement questionnaire. "I will prioritize kitchen table issues like building more affordable housing, strengthening public safety, supporting Silicon Valley innovation, and bringing down costs for families. These are types of legislation we should all be able to agree on even in a divided Congress."
Low would be an effective member of Congress, and residents in the 16th District should vote for him.
Municipal races
Several cities are electing council members. In the races where candidates returned questionnaires, we recommend the following.
Mountain View City Council
There are four seats up for election; five candidates returned our endorsement questionnaire. Of those, we're recommending Chris Clark, a gay man who previously served on the council; incumbents Pat Showalter and Emily Ann Ramos; and candidate Devon Conley.
Clark served for eight years starting in 2012, when he was the youngest person elected. Clark's been the Peninsula city's only out councilmember so far and, after sitting out the 2022 cycle because the city's term limit rule barred him from running again that fall, he decided to run this year, in which there are two open seats. During his time on the council he served as mayor and vice mayor, which rotate among the members.
Currently, a member of the Mountain View Planning Commission, Clark stated that he was "deeply involved in the development and passage of our Housing Element, which lays out our plans to address the lack of housing at all affordability levels. I'm proud that Mountain View was recently designated by the state of California as the only 'pro-housing' city in Santa Clara County."
While Mountain View is not near a BART station, it has Caltrain, light rail, and VTA bus service. Clark stated that he is supportive of increased density near those locations.
When he was mayor in 2014, Clark led the effort to raise the Pride flag in Mountain View for the first time. A good example of his leadership is that the flag raisings didn't end when he left. "I subsequently convinced my council colleagues to authorize raising the Pride flag each year thereafter," he stated. (We should note that it is no small thing for cities and counties to adopt resolutions in support of Pride and flying the rainbow flag. As we have reported, some cities have backed away from the Pride Month acknowledgement or even refused to raise the banner.)
Clark would be an excellent addition to the City Council and has much needed experience.
Showalter is currently serving as mayor. "I am serving as a city councilmember, and wish to continue to do so for another term, to use my knowledge of the community and our issues, and my skills as an engineer and a problem-solver to enhance the livability of my community," she stated. "I have a history of championing housing, sustainability and equity for Mountain View, and wish to continue work on policies and programs that I helped initiate." She, too, was involved with the passage of the Housing Element.
On homelessness issues, Showalter has been proactive. "I am proud of how Mountain View's homeless assistance program was strengthened in 2016 when I was mayor the first time, and of the services we have added since that time," she stated. "We are known for our strong program, which includes over 100 safe parking spots, a Life Moves Interim Housing Program, and an ecosystem of community-based organizations that work together with city and county staff to move our homeless residents toward permanent housing."
A straight ally, Showalter is supportive of the LGBTQ community; she has supported flying the Pride flag.
Showalter has been a constructive councilmember, and we support her reelection.
Ramos is another straight ally currently serving as a councilmember; she was appointed last year and is seeking a four-year term. She's the daughter of Filipino immigrants and a lifelong Bay Area resident. Prior to joining the council, Ramos served on the city's first Rental Housing Committee, "where I helped implement our rent stabilization program created after the passage of Measure V, the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA)," she stated. "My work on the committee deepened my commitment to addressing the housing crisis and ensuring that Mountain View remains a place where people of all backgrounds can thrive."
On housing, Ramos stated the city is in the process of repurposing land from a closed light rail station on Evelyn Avenue to convert into "an ambitious 12-story affordable housing project."
Ramos noted that the Pride flag raising did initially generate some controversy when it was made permanent, but that has changed. "It is now widely embraced and not a controversial issue in our city," she stated. "I fully support continuing this important tradition."
Voters should reelect Ramos.
Conley is a straight ally who currently serves on the school board. She stated that she wants to join the City Council "because I believe family-friendly urban planning and policy benefits not just children and families, but all of Mountain View."
"My priorities are creating thriving neighborhoods, prioritizing public safety, and ensuring a healthy community," Conley added. "With my unique perspective as a school board member and parent, my expertise in city planning, and my experience getting policies implemented, I know I can serve our community well."
On homelessness, Conley is interested in establishing a one-stop resource center to support unhoused neighbors.
Conley is also supportive of the Pride flag raising and, on the school board, votes every year for a proclamation supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Conley would be an effective member of the council.
Palo Alto
There are four seats up on the Palo Alto City Council, with two incumbents seeking reelection. Two of the non-incumbent candidates returned our endorsement questionnaire: Katie Causey, who is bisexual, and Anne Cribbs, a straight ally.
We endorsed Causey four years ago when she was running for a seat on the Palo Alto school board. In the end, she missed being elected by just 2% of the vote. This year, she's seeking a seat on the City Council. Currently, she was appointed by the council to serve on the city's human relations commission, where she's been able to get experience in local government and where she oversees what nonprofits serving the unhoused get for funding. She presently works as a community organizer for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. She's also worked with housing nonprofits, and stated that she's running to continue working on tenant protections and housing.
"We have roughly 300 unhoused community members in Palo Alto that rely on our city services; right now the biggest action our city can take to support these services is building housing and affordable housing for the social workers and individuals in these programs," she stated.
A lifelong Palo Alto resident, Causey has a solid grasp on housing issues that would serve Palo Alto well.
Cribbs was the president and CEO of the San Francisco bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, which ultimately went to London. She stated in her endorsement questionnaire that during that process, she worked with Gene Dermody, a gay man who was long involved with Golden Gate Wrestling, gay then-San Francisco supervisor Tom Ammiano, and Derek Liecty, a gay man who's the former director of the Federation of Gay Games. "We created a new positive relationship between the gay community and the Olympic committee, due to the unfair and unjust persecution of late gay athlete Dr. Tom Waddell — a Olympic decathlete, who competed in the 1968 Olympic Games and was the founder of the Gay Games," Cribbs stated.
Cribbs has also been involved with other Bay Area Olympic bids in 2016 and 2024. She's co-founder of the American Basketball League, which lasted two seasons before its framework was copied by the NBA for its own women's league. Cribbs, inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, won a gold medal in swimming at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games when she was 15.
In this race, Cribbs supports affordable housing as infill close to public transportation. She also wants more mental health and substance use treatment programs. "The unhoused must be encouraged to seek services, treatment and housing," she stated.
Cribbs has experience working with local governments through her work on the Bay Area's Olympic bids, and would be a strong voice on the City Council for unhoused services, revitalizing small business, and other issues.
South San Francisco
District 4
There are two candidates running for the District 4 seat on the City Council. Only incumbent James Coleman, a bi man, returned our endorsement questionnaire.
We endorsed Coleman four years ago when he became the youngest and first LGBTQ member of the South San Francisco City Council. He was appointed mayor in 2023 (the position rotates among the councilmembers).
"During the COVID pandemic, I was evacuated out of college in the middle of my junior year," he stated. "I came home not to a graduation party or a fancy cake — but to a global pandemic that wreaked havoc throughout our country, I came home to the murder of George Floyd with widespread calls for public safety reform, and I came home to a community that sought justice and change to a status quo that had failed them.
"I first ran in 2020 to hold our elected leaders accountable, and to give the South City community a voice," he stated. "I am running for re-election because we have more work to do."
Coleman added, "During my time as mayor, I am proud to have made South San Francisco a city of firsts in San Mateo County. The first in the county to pass a $5 Hazard Pay ordinance for our essential workers. The first in the county to pass a guaranteed income pilot program. The first to pass an Article 34 authorization, that was measure AA (by a margin of 20 points), to allow us to build city-owned affordable housing, or social housing."
Coleman has been a productive councilmember and deserves reelection.
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!