As the June primary approaches, the four contenders for District 5’s City Council seat are sharpening their political pitches to the voters of East San Jose.
The district’s incumbent, Councilmember Peter Ortiz, is defending his seat against three challengers — local education leader Karen Martinez, broadcast journalist Vy Dang and Nora Campos, a former San Jose councilmember and state lawmaker who lost to Ortiz in the district’s 2022 election.
District 5, centered around the Alum Rock neighborhood, is among the city’s most diverse with an electorate made up of roughly 40% Latino voters and 38% Asian voters. The city’s vibrant East Side neighborhoods have a history of producing influential civic leaders and beloved local businesses, but they have also suffered from decades of underinvestment and racial disparity.
Over the past year, the federal government’s immigration crackdown has compounded the area’s economic struggles, as fear of deportation has driven many undocumented residents out of public life.
Now, the four candidates are laying out their visions for the district, including their plans to improve public safety, boost affordability and reverse the economic stagnation that has in some areas led to blight and urban decay.
Here are the District 5 San Jose City Council candidates in alphabetical order by last name:
Nora Campos, a former state assemblymember and San Jose councilmember, plans to run for the District 5 City Council seat. File photo.
Nora Campos
Campos is a familiar figure in South Bay politics. She held the District 5 seat between 2001 and 2010 and went on to serve in the state Assembly from 2010 to 2016. Now Campos, 60, is seeking a rematch against Ortiz, who won 55% of the runoff vote in 2022.
Campos contends that after four years in office, Ortiz has failed to make good on his longstanding promises to lead an economic revitalization of East San Jose.
“I can see it — even when you drive through the district — that people, their quality of life has gone down in the last 10 to 12 years,” Campos told San José Spotlight. “If you’re not working on the basic issues that improve people’s quality of life, you’re going to see a district that is dirty, has trash, blight, parks that are not safe — a lot of abandoned cars.”
Campos, who leads 55 Advisors, a policy advisory firm, said her years of experience in elected office have positioned her well to carry out her campaign platform centered on affordable housing, park investments, boosting youth programs, homelessness and small business support.
Campos said during her prior term representing District 5, she helped lay the foundations for several East San Jose milestones. She points to her role in leading the revitalization of the neglected shopping area at Story and King roads, advocating for VTA’s light rail extension to Eastridge and hiring more police under former Mayor Chuck Reed.
“I’ve served before in this capacity,” Campos said, “and I think that’s what people remember as I’ve been on the doors, is that I made promises and I delivered.”
Longtime VietToday Television news anchor Vy Dang said after covering the South Bay’s immigrant community for years, she understands the challenges facing District 5 voters. Photo courtesy of Vy Dang.
Vy Dang
First-time candidate Dang has won local notoriety outside of the realm of politics. As a longtime news anchor for Vietoday TV — a Vietnamese-language media network headquartered in San Jose — Dang has spent more than a decade telling the stories of San Jose’s immigrant community, and in the process become a recognizable local media personality and sought after event host.
Meanwhile, Dang, who emigrated from Vietnam in 2010, has her own immigrant story as well, which has included learning English as a second language, running a small beauty salon and raising two children as a single mother.
“Because of my life experience, I truly understand how hard working people struggle to build a better life,” Dang told San José Spotlight. “That is why I am running for city council — to fight for workers’ rights, to protect working families and to make sure their voices are heard at City Hall.”
Dang’s public safety agenda includes plans to reduce police response times and expand officer foot patrols within neighborhoods. Dang, known professionally as Dan Vy, said she also wants to support immigrants by expanding multilingual city services, and boost economic development through investments in job training, education support and youth activities.
Dang, 42, has participated in recent election cycles by supporting nonpartisan voter education initiatives, according to her campaign website. Such work has included get-out-the-vote announcements on Vietoday TV and community networks.
“I understand the struggle because I lived it,” Dang said. “I believe in hard work, community and the American Dream. And I want to help make that dream possible for more families in District 5.”
San Jose-Evergreen Community College District board member Karen Martinez represents Area 2 that includes East San Jose. File photo.
Karen Martinez
Martinez, an East San Jose native, has taken on many civic causes over her years in public life, which have seen her found a food bank, and volunteer in a neighborhood association and as a cheer coach. Her parental team spirit eventually led to a string of leadership roles in local school districts.
Now, Martinez, who has served as a San Jose-Evergreen Community College District trustee since 2018, is making the case that her track record demonstrates she can deliver for District 5 voters.
“Our community deserves a voice that they can trust,” Martinez told San José Spotlight. “I have more than a decade of trust, respect, collaboration and being a thought partner. Our community deserves that, and I reflect that.”
An East San Jose native, Martinez said her personal background as a former teen mother who spent time unhoused has shaped her approach to governance. As part of her pledge to bring “the humanity back to serving our homeless community,” Martinez said she intends to boost efficiency in the city’s homeless programs by applying clearer goals and metrics to the city’s nonprofit service providers.
Martinez was also a founding parent of the Alpha Blanca Alvarado Public School and also served on the Alum Rock Union School District board, according to her campaign website.
Among her most notable achievements as a San Jose-Evergreen Community College District board member, where she represents East San Jose, Martinez said she championed an effort to expand early college high school programming to the East Side Union High School District. In doing so, the program has enabled students to obtain an associate’s degree or college credit while working toward their high school diploma.
“That’s a game changer,” Martinez said. “I’ve been a solid voice to ensure that we give access to all, not just to some.”
District 5 incumbent Councilmember Peter Ortiz is running against three challengers to hold on to his seat. He touts his record of being on the forefront of pushing policies to protect immigrant communities from federal immigration agents. File photo.
Peter Ortiz
Countering his rivals’ criticisms, Ortiz contends that over his four years in office, he has demonstrated himself to be among “the city’s most consistent champions for working families,” and he’s now laying out his plans to advance several key initiatives.
“I’m asking voters for the opportunity to continue building on the progress we’ve made and to keep fighting for the investment, opportunity and respect that East San Jose deserves,” Ortiz, 36, told San José Spotlight.
Before joining the council, Ortiz, who grew up in East San Jose, previously served as president of the Santa Clara County Board of Education, as well as a member of the Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District board.
As part of his reelection pitch, Ortiz is highlighting several policies he has championed, including measures to increase protections for immigrants, stiffen penalties for catalytic converter theft and punish landlords who fail to maintain habitable living spaces for tenants.
In addition, Ortiz said he has sought to cut down on emergency response times by advocating for the hiring of more emergency personnel. He also cited his work to help secure a $3 million federal grant to support the expansion of the Mexican Heritage Plaza’s La Placita project.
If granted a second term, Ortiz said he will continue to focus on improving public safety and boosting public investment in his district.
“For decades, our community has faced the impacts of historic underinvestment tied to redlining and inequitable planning decisions,” Ortiz said. “My goal is to transform East San Jose into a place where families want to set down roots, small business owners choose to invest and residents have access to workforce development and economic opportunity.”
Contact Keith Menconi at [email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X.