As the race to become Santa Clara County assessor enters its last lap, leaders of Northern California’s largest city are all in on candidate Neysa Fligor.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the City Council have endorsed Fligor in the race to succeed former longtime Assessor Larry Stone, who resigned in July and kicked off a race to finish out the remainder of his term.
Fligor, vice mayor of Los Altos and a Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office employee, already has her would-be predecessor’s endorsement. But she said Mahan’s support reflects similar leadership styles of chasing efficiency and government solutions through the use of new technology. The state-certified property tax appraiser has touted her involvement in overhauling the assessor’s office’s outdated computer system this year.
“I am honored to have Mayor Mahan’s endorsement and that of the entire city council,” Fligor told San José Spotlight. “I have always admired the mayor’s approach to look for ways to improve services for residents and that’s the type of leadership I have and will continue to bring to the assessor’s office. I will continue to identify ways to improve processes that make us more efficient and also ensure that the assessments continue to be done legally, fairly and accurately.”
Mahan — a Democrat who caters to a more conservative, anti-tax base — said he supports Fligor because she doesn’t instinctually run to taxes as a solution to government quagmires.
“She knows our answer to every problem can’t be another tax or bond,” Mahan said in a news release. “The right assessor keeps revenue stable so we can continue to fund the basic services we need without overburdening our working families struggling to make ends meet. I believe Neysa Fligor is the most qualified candidate for the job.”
Fligor will face off against tech executive and former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar in a Dec. 30 runoff election after having the most votes in a Nov. 4 special election — but not enough to win outright. Whoever wins the runoff will oversee a $700 billion assessment roll and 500,000 property owners.
Kumar does not have Fligor’s assessor experience or credentials, but has garnered attention over lofty proposals, such as property tax exemptions for older adults. He also touts endorsements from Cupertino Mayor Liang Fang Chao, as well as former San Jose Councilmembers and Assemblymembers Kansen Chu and Nora Campos.
He has raised $35,000 so far this year, much of that money coming after the November election, according to campaign finance filings.
“We’re still tabulating some checks — and we are very excited to hit this milestone — but we still need to raise a lot more money in order to reach voters throughout Santa Clara County to continue to share our message and have them understand why it’s important to actually vote in this election,” Fligor said.
She voiced concern that turnout will plummet, as the holidays will force voters to balance their civic duty with familial gatherings and traveling. Turnout in the Nov. 4 special election was 51%, as droves of voters were drawn to support the statewide Proposition 50, which will allow California to redraw congressional districts in favor of Democrats in response to Republican redistricting in Texas.
The election could be consequential for the valley, whose property values are seeing their lowest growth in more than a decade due to economic uncertainty and stalled development.
Several significant projects have stalled due to high interest rates, surging construction cost and sinking demand for office space. This includes Google’s Downtown West project in San Jose, which was slated to begin in 2023 but remains in limbo. Meanwhile, surging vacancies, dropping rental rates, a shortage of big leasing deals and the continuation of hybrid and remote work have kept the office vacancy rate in Silicon Valley at roughly 20% for the past two years, according to the assessor’s office.
Early voting started Monday and is available at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at 1555 Berger Drive, Building #2 in San Jose, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters can also drop off their ballots at one of 109 official drop box locations.
“The momentum for our campaign is strong, and it really is getting stronger,” Fligor said.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.