With the countdown to the California governor primary election on June 2, the Chinese community in San Francisco is actively following the campaign. Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose and a gubernatorial candidate, visited San Francisco’s Chinatown on the evening of May 27 to attend a community meet-and-greet organized by various Chinese groups. He elaborated on his personal views on California’s future regarding public safety, housing, education, and economic development.
Due to the incumbent California Governor Gavin Newsom’s nearing end of term, the current gubernatorial race is highly competitive with as many as 10 qualified candidates on the ballot.
Mahan addressed the hundreds of attendees, stating that his candidacy aims to make government governance effective, improve public safety, optimize infrastructure, and public services.
“In California, we have become accustomed to equating ‘expanding government size’ with ‘improving government governance.’ Over the past six years, the state government has expanded by 75%, but the improvement in various affairs has far from reached 75%,” Mahan expressed.
He questioned whether the money spent truly improved people’s lives, made communities safer, cleaned up business districts, simplified starting businesses, and ensured children are achieving appropriate grade-level standards in reading and math, preparing them for future success. Mahan emphasized the importance of these tangible issues.
Mahan emphasized that the government’s goal is not to make the system larger but to genuinely improve people’s lives.
He described himself as a pragmatic leader and praised the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of the Asian community, acknowledging their resilience in building a better future for their descendants. He highlighted the community’s ethos of hard work, perseverance, and entrepreneurship for the sake of their children and grandchildren.
Addressing the issue of businesses relocating out of state due to heavy taxation, Mahan suggested that the solution to problems may not always involve additional taxation, issuing more bonds, or introducing new regulations. He emphasized the need to assess the appropriateness of current fund utilization and the effectiveness of existing policies.
“We cannot always resort to raising taxes as the sole solution. We must firmly demand improvement and efficiency from the government in its work; after all, we already have the highest tax rates and expensive business costs in the entire country,” Mahan noted.
He cautioned against fostering a hostile commercial environment by sending the wrong signal of wanting businesses to leave the state, despite California’s policies aimed at protecting the environment, labor rights, and ensuring contributions from businesses and high-income groups.
During the Q&A session, Mahan discussed issues related to environmental approvals, education, and engaged with participants.
Jason Zeng, a young Chinese American who ran for federal congress in 2024 and currently works in data engineering, mentioned that while there are numerous gubernatorial candidates this year, few have the statewide competitiveness. He noted that Mahan still needs to build recognition and political capabilities given the current electoral landscape.
27th evening, a poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California showed Mahan’s current support at 7%, placing him sixth.
The top five are Xavier Becerra, former Secretary of Health and Human Services at 23%; Steve Hilton, senior advisor to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Fox News host, at 20%; billionaire Tom Steyer at 15%; Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 13%; and former federal congresswoman Katie Porter at 12%.
Under California’s “top-two primary regardless of party affiliation” system, the top two candidates with the most votes, irrespective of party, directly advance to the November election, creating uncertainty in the final week of the election.
Zeng suggested that Mahan may not win this year but is working hard to raise awareness and prepare for future campaigns while building his influence in California.
The event’s organizer, Chinese American Democratic Club Chair Zhuo Xia, stated that Mahan officially launched his campaign in April, with a relatively short campaign preparation compared to other candidates who have been preparing for over a year.
She expressed support for Mahan as the best gubernatorial candidate aligned with their vision of improving public safety, streets, and businesses rather than being overly tolerant of crimes and zero-cost purchases.
She commended San Jose’s efforts to improve public safety, revamp streets, and construct housing in a sensible manner, noting the need for change in California and predicting that if Mahan became governor, such transformation would occur statewide.
Apart from Zhuo’s Chinese American Democratic Club, the United Democratic Club, and Edwin M. Lee Asian Pacific Democratic Club were also involved in the coordination.