Election Guide 2024: Five compete to represent District 5 on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

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It has been more than a decade since voters elected a new candidate to fill the District 5 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. But that’s about to change with this year’s election, as a new slate of contenders vie for the chance to represent the North County.

The county already has sent out vote-by-mail ballots ahead of the March 5 primary. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then the top two will compete in a run-off election in November.

Longtime incumbent Supervisor Joe Simitian has termed out of office after serving the county for 12 years. Whoever takes over is bound to face some tough policy decisions in their first year. The county is facing a $120 million structural budget deficit that is projected to increase to $250 million next year.

The possible contraction of government services comes at a time when the county has committed to ramping up affordable housing and health care services. The county also is a major safety net provider, overseeing and allocating resources to agencies dedicated to serving children, seniors and families in need, many of whom have not fully recovered from the hardships of the pandemic.

The coordination of massive regional efforts, like a public transit system, also falls within the county’s purview, as does ensuring the public safety of its constituents.

The five candidates have weighed in on these issues and more, offering a wide range of perspectives on how they would address some of the challenges that lie ahead.

This election guide provides information about where each candidate stands on key policy issues. In January, this news organization interviewed four of the candidates and in February, it administered a questionnaire, asking the candidates about their top priorities and policy positions.

The guide also offers resources for voters to learn more about the candidates, based on previous coverage by this news organization as well as an online candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Southwest Santa Clara Valley.

Previous coverage:

Meet the District 5 candidates looking to fill a seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Money flows into District 5 Board of Supervisors race
The race is on for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

Margaret Abe-Koga

Margaret Abe-Koga, a longtime Mountain View City Council member and former mayor, is a seasoned policymaker with nearly two decades of public service.

She has served on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, as well as on regional boards and commissions, including the VTA, Bay Area Quality Management District, Silicon Valley Clean Energy Board Authority and the Cities Association of Santa Clara County.

Now Abe-Koga wants to “scale up” and serve the county in a higher capacity as an elected official. “I understand governance, work effectively and collaboratively with others to reach consensus to move issues forward, and am accessible and accountable,” she said.

Abe-Koga identified fiscal management as one of her top priorities, and saw revenue generation and cost recovery as a two-pronged solution to close the county’s budget deficit, without hampering service levels.

For these reasons, Abe-Koga did not support the county’s proposal to eliminate vacant staff positions to make up for its funding shortfall. Rather, she supported the freezing of positions as the county re-evaluated core services and priorities.

“Safe and healthy neighborhoods” was another high priority area for Abe-Koga. To improve public safety, she said the county should focus on recruiting and retaining skilled staff. Currently, the staffing level is at 70%, leading to high burnout and employee dissatisfaction, she said, adding that more resources should be provided for public safety employees too.

With the hot-button topic of homelessness, Abe-Koga pointed to many of the housing strategies the city of Mountain View has implemented during her time as a council member. She advocated for a spectrum of housing options, including safe parking lots for vehicle dwellers, transitional housing, 100% affordable housing and permanent supportive housing with wraparound services.

Abe-Koga said she would support initiatives to clear homelessness encampments, as long as there were places for individuals to go, like shelters, transitional housing and permanent affordable housing.

Abe-Koga’s approach to housing aligns with another top priority for her, which she described as “providing sustainable, affordable and quality social services and healthcare.” Using the example of mental health, Abe-Koga said she would like to expand access to these services and add more in-patient beds so individuals seeking treatment could stay closer to home and their support networks.

Abe-Koga also noted the toll of mental health issues on youth in particular, and said she would support expanding both youth and adult services.

On the issue of the region’s transit needs, Abe-Koga referred to her work with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, where she has advocated for increased service levels so that public transit could be a first choice for daily trips, she said.

Much of this work also coincides with Abe-Koga’s environmental positions. Abe-Koga said she is pushing for full carbon neutrality with transit-oriented developments and the implementation of all-electric reach codes, which she described as “just the beginning” for the county.

Barry Chang

Barry Chang, a former Cupertino City Council member and mayor, has focused on public health and safety issues as the centerpiece of his campaign.

“I have a proven track record of protecting the environment, protecting public health and protecting public safety,” Chang said, referring to his work in bringing the Lehigh Southwest Cement Plant into environmental compliance for clean air and water. The plant is now set to permanently close.

Chang identified housing, environment, land use and transportation as high priority areas where he would make the most contributions as an elected county official. His campaign website also calls for more, and better, senior services.

To close the budget deficit, Chang proposed increasing revenue and cutting non-essential expenses, but did not provide specific details about how this would be done.

Addressing the issue of housing and homelessness, Chang supported initiatives to provide more units of temporary housing and job training programs. He also proposed allowing high-density buildings along major thoroughfares.

Chang also pointed to traffic congestion as a high priority area, and that he would advocate for rapid mass transit and having BART form a complete loop around the Bay Area.

On the issue of public safety, Chang proposed adding more oversight bodies that would report directly to the board, as well as establishing a volunteer commission with specific roles and responsibilities.

Peter Fung

Peter Fung, a retired neurologist who serves on the El Camino Health Care District Board of Directors, wants to usher in what he calls a new era of innovative, accountable and practical leadership.

“The status quo policies supported by career politicians have gone on for far too long and have failed us,” he said.

Fung identified homelessness, mental health, and crime and public safety as his top three priorities. In each case, Fung advocated for substantial policy reforms, starting with a better redirection of resources.

Fung did not support the county’s proposal to eliminate vacant staff positions as a means to handle the budget deficit. Departments were already understaffed and workers overburdened, he said. Instead, Fung is advocating for more transparency and community input and proposed alternative strategies including debt restructuring, cost-sharing with other jurisdictions and potential public-private partnerships.

On the issue of homelessness, Fung advocated for more mental health interventions, citing statistics that one-third to one-half of the unhoused residents are “gravely disabled” and unable to care for themselves. Resources should be poured into treatment centers addressing mental health and substance addiction issues, he said. For the rest, Fung supported emergency and temporary rehousing programs with supportive services.

Fung largely supported Proposition 1, a $6.4 billion bond measure meant to expand mental health and addiction services that also would build supportive housing and help veterans. Opponents say the proposition would siphon money away from the county’s voluntary mental health services.

Fung said his support is contingent on Proposition 1 retaining “sufficient” local control on how mental health funding is spent, but added that Santa Clara County’s existing track record shows it is “not getting the job done with the funds it has at present.”

Fung offered several ideas to improve the county’s mental health services, advocating for additional funding and greater access to care, as well as additional training for frontline workers. He also wanted to destigmatize and decriminalize mental health issues by focusing on it as a public health topic.

Taking a strong stance on public safety, Fung supported more funding for law enforcement and advocated for more accountability in persecuting and incarcerating violent offenders. “Permissive attitudes towards crime must stop now,” he said. But while tough on crime, Fung also advocated for more social outreach programs to address crime prevention. 

For public transit, Fung supported more funding for it as well as infrastructural improvements that would increase accessibility and the frequency of service, while also ensuring public safety and cleanliness, he said.

Though an advocate for more funding for mental health and public transit services, Fung did not support Measure T, a 2020 parcel tax to preserve parks and open spaces. “The county does not have a shortage of funds. It just has a shortage of smart policies,” he said. Instead, Fung supported strategies like “promoting compact and mixed-use developments, investing in public transportation infrastructure and preserving green spaces and natural habitats,” he said.

Sally Lieber

Sally Lieber, a former state assemblymember and former Mountain View City Council member who currently sits on the California State Board of Equalization, has a wide breadth and depth of experience holding public office.

Lieber said she was running to represent the North County to “bring transparency, thorough and sound policy, and to ensure that the Board meets the needs of the community and especially people who depend on the quality of safety net services.”

In many ways, the board’s policy areas can be seen as an extension of what Lieber has been doing for decades. She has an established record of authoring and implementing legislation in areas related to housing, public health, the environment and social justice.

Lieber said these experiences have prepared her “to be effective on day one” and that she was well-equipped to make tough budget and policy calls.

Describing herself as a “budget watchdog,” Lieber said her overarching goal was “to stabilize the county’s finances and make county government more effective at delivering services.” 

To harness the county’s budget deficit, Lieber supported a more restrained approach to spending while still delivering essential services. She also described some strategies to augment the county’s coffers, like applying for more state and federal grants, introducing revenue measures, and “rightsizing” programs and outside contracts.

Lieber’s focus on efficiency, while still delivering on services, was reflected in her approach to the county’s housing response. Lieber said she wanted to improve shelter and housing options and provided several ideas to streamline the process, starting with the county’s Housing Authority. People get lost in its bureaucracy, she said, adding that she supported a common application that would make it easier to apply for affordable housing and stay on the list. 

Lieber also highlighted the county’s existing assets, noting that it could continue to convert motels and other developed sites into affordable housing, as well as preserve existing housing and mobile home parks.

Intertwined with the housing issue, Lieber noted that too many families in the county are rent burdened and forced to make choices between housing and child care. Lieber, who has served on the county’s Social Services Commission, said it was imperative to make both housing and child care more accessible and affordable. She also believes the county’s shelters and overnight warming locations were not sufficient.

The environment was another top priority for Lieber, who said she wanted “to protect open space, clean air and clean water,” as well as promote “nontoxic and renewable energy and purchasing.” Lieber referred to the protection of greenbelt areas like the Stanford Foothills, and Bay restoration to help the region adapt to climate change, as progress towards these goals.

Lieber also supported more oversight of the county’s jails, and said the county should hold off on building a new jail facility until more was understood about the rehabilitative needs of incarcerated individuals, as well as the best ways to work with justice-involved families.

Sandy Sans

Sandy Sans, a business owner with an engineering background, is the newest face to the political scene but has big ideas about how to improve county governance.

Looking to shake up the old establishment, Sans has proposed solutions to address long-standing challenges in the region like homelessness, housing affordability and a functional social safety net.

“We need new ways of looking at these problems that borrows from Silicon Valley’s culture of empowering individuals and measuring results,” he said.

Sans said homelessness was a social problem before a housing problem and needed to be parsed out into three separate categories: addiction, mental illness and economic homelessness. Each would have a corresponding approach, he said.

Sans also described the need for more affordable housing, both for buyers and renters, that was easier and faster to build. He supported housing choices, like expanding Section 8 vouchers, and other programs to help prevent homelessness, and was open to the idea of providing support for individuals and families seeking to live outside of the region.

Sans identified childhood advocacy as another priority area. Providing a safe, nurturing and stable environment was critical for a healthy society, he said, adding that social workers were at the frontline helping challenged families and more authority should be given to them to make case-by-case decisions.

On the issue of the budget deficit, Sans also advocated for more community input, particularly from county staff to get clear ideas about where money could be best saved and spent. He did not see it as a short-term or “quick” fix that would happen in one budget cycle, and that it would take time to implement systemic changes.

Sans was particularly critical of the region’s transportation system and said it was spread across too many agencies. “The attempted answer to that issue was to form a new agency to coordinate the other agencies. But even with that, nobody is in charge. It is management by committee,” he said, adding that the county needed fewer agencies with a clear person in charge.

On the topic of the environment, Sans advocated for more incentivization for utility companies to lower the cost of electricity so that fossil fuels would be seen as a less desirable source of energy for consumers. He also did not support the county’s All-Electric Reach codes, stating that “outlawing gas cooktops will produce an outsized resistance for saving a tiny amount of gas.”