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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a moderate Democrat, is running for governor, but he is not exactly a household name outside of the South Bay.<\/p>\n
Manuel Orbegozo\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
With little more than two months until California\u2019s June 2 primary, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has his work cut out for him if he wants his name on the November ballot in the governor\u2019s race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his first statewide run, Mahan, a moderate Democrat, is not exactly a household name outside of the South Bay, and waiting until late January to join the already crowded Democratic field didn\u2019t help.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Appearances on \u201cThe Daily Show,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0podcasts and local television outlets have introduced his JFK charm and self-deprecating sense of humor to a wider audience.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI just didn\u2019t think there were enough people running for governor,\u201d he told \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d host Jon Stewart with a boyish smile when asked about his decision to run. Still, he is polling\u00a0in the low single digits<\/a> in most surveys.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that endorsements or the endorsements from the various groups in Sacramento is my path to being governor,\u201d the 43-year-old mayor told me when we met up last week at a cafe in the state Capitol. Trim, wearing a blue suit with a navy tie, he looks a bit like a former soccer player turned coach. \u201cI\u2019m running a campaign focused on going direct to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Mahan grew up middle-class in Watsonville, the agricultural Central Coast town that grows America\u2019s strawberries. His mother was a teacher, and his father delivered the mail. Before leading a tech firm, Mahan taught middle school and, before that, he attended Harvard, where he was elected student body president.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m running for people like the family I grew up in down in Watsonville, who just desperately need government to work again if they\u2019re going to get ahead,\u201d he said, nursing a glass of water, adding, \u201cI\u2019m trying to deliver a common-sense reform message to Californians who know that we can do better. And that the answer to every problem isn\u2019t always more spending. It\u2019s more accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n That idea\u00a0\u2014 that California\u2019s elected officials should be judged on the results they deliver\u00a0\u2014 comes up multiple times during our hour together. Accountability, of course, is not exactly a new campaign platform in American politics, and as income inequality continues to grow, more voters have warmed to the idea of forcing the ultra-wealthy to bridge the gap between what politicians promise and can actually deliver.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a Chronicle analysis, Mahan is the preferred candidate of the state\u2019s billionaire class<\/a>. So, how does he think that plays with those who are less fortunate?<\/p>\n \u201cAs the mayor of the capital of Silicon Valley,\u201d he responds, \u201cthey have seen what accountable leadership looks like, and they, like many other Californians, want a government that is more responsive, more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n So what about the very rich? Shouldn\u2019t they be held accountable, too?\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI think billionaires need to be held accountable for paying their fair share, and there are a number of things that I will do \u2026 as governor and advocate for, to level the playing field,\u201d Mahan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the things Mahan won\u2019t do, however, is advocate on behalf of passing a one-time excise tax on billionaires to pay for health care and education.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t going to work. You\u2019ve had 12 European countries try it. Nine have rolled it back<\/a>,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cHere\u2019s the dirty secret. It isn\u2019t the billionaires who are going to pay this. They\u2019re going to leave and find tax shelter.\u201d Instead, he believes, \u201cIt\u2019s going to be the middle class of California (who will pay).\u201d<\/p>\n So steadfast is Mahan\u2019s view that California\u2019s political class needs an accountability reality check that he\u2019s proposed a plan to index pay for state legislators, tying it to performance goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to hold Sacramento accountable for spending better and doing better before we ask you to pay more,\u201d he said, and I can\u2019t help but glance around the cafe to see if any lawmakers are in earshot.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Bypassing Sacramento\u2019s power players, or threatening them with a possible pay cut, will pose a challenge to Mahan\u2019s viability in the governor\u2019s race.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many of Sacramento\u2019s insiders seem to have already settled on Rep Eric Swalwell, who leads the Democratic field in recent polls. He\u2019s getting political advice from Bearstar Strategies\u2019 Ace Smith, for instance, who had been former Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s campaign swami. Swalwell is also getting behind-the-scenes help from Speaker\u00a0Emerita Nancy Pelosi, along with an endorsement by the powerful Service Employees International Union. It\u2019s hard to see how Mahan will manage to leapfrog Swalwell onto the general election ballot\u00a0\u2014 to say nothing of\u00a0Rep. Katie Porter<\/a> and billionaire activist Tom Steyer<\/a>, both of whom Mahan trails.\u00a0<\/p>\n Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.<\/p>\n