Below is the list of candidates in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n
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Gary Ferraris is a former city maintenance worker and labor representative who has lived in Santa Clara for about 24 years. Photo courtesy of Gary Ferraris<\/p>\n
Armando \u201cGary\u201d Ferraris<\/p>\n
Ferraris, 59, is a former Santa Clara maintenance worker and labor representative who has lived in the city for about 24 years. He worked for the city for about 15 years before retiring two years ago and moving into a staff role with AFSCME Council 57. He said he has considered running for office for about eight years, but could not do so while working for the city because he would have had to resign if elected.<\/p>\n
Ferraris said one of Santa Clara\u2019s biggest problems is the political tension on the city council<\/a>, which he believes has affected city employees and the services they provide. Improving relationships between elected officials, residents, city workers and businesses while restoring morale is one of his priorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n He also wants the city to address deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure, saying Santa Clara should maintain its facilities<\/a> rather than allow them to deteriorate and later borrow money for repairs<\/a> through a multimillion-dollar infrastructure bond measure \u2014 such as Measure I. Ferraris supports housing and commercial development, but wants the city to take a measured approach that balances growth with neighborhood character.<\/p>\n \u201cI do a lot of contract negotiations, and I\u2019ve become very good at listening to both sides, hearing what the pain points are, finding out what\u2019s really important to both sides and then really focusing on what we have in common,\u201d Ferraris told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI\u2019m really good at bringing the two sides together to find a reasonable compromise that works for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n David Kertes<\/p>\n Kertes, 55, has lived in Santa Clara for more than 28 years and is the senior director of sales for North America at Novanta, with more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and leadership. His professional experience includes working with Fortune 100 companies such as Honeywell and Danaher, as well as leadership roles with Meggitt, TT Electronics and private companies. He also serves as a commissioner on the city\u2019s Salary Setting Commission and has experience in negotiations, contracts, strategic planning and business development.<\/p>\n Kertes said he is running<\/a> because he believes Santa Clara needs a long-term strategic vision and change in leadership. His priorities include improving services for children and older adults, maintaining public safety and strengthening infrastructure. For children, he wants to add community sports, pools, STEM programs and a dedicated recreational center. Kertes said older adults need more community activities to combat loneliness and a new senior center on the Northside could help those who lack access to one.<\/p>\n He wants the city to add more restaurants, shops and small businesses while encouraging development that produces benefits for residents. He said Santa Clara needs a balance between commercial development and housing so the city does not become a place where people live but work elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes me the most qualified is the business and leadership experience that I\u2019ve had,\u201d Kertes told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight \u201cWe don\u2019t have to be best friends, but we should be able to work together. Look at the pros. If there\u2019s cons, how do we work through those? And that\u2019s my business skills. That\u2019s my negotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin Park<\/p>\n Park, who is in his mid-50s, has served on the Santa Clara City Council for six years and has lived in the city for about 30 years. He spent three decades working in the technology industry, including as a senior engineer at Google and in roles at Unisys, DoorDash and Digitate. He said he spent the last few years of his technology career designing artificial intelligence services for data centers. He left his job at Datatron in 2022 to focus on his daughter and his work on the city council.<\/p>\n Park said he is running for mayor<\/a> in part because of his technology background and his concerns about how the city makes decisions affecting residents. He specifically raised concerns about placing data centers<\/a> near residential neighborhoods and said elected officials should focus on whether city policies provide a benefit to residents.<\/p>\n His first priority as mayor would be to ensure the city is well managed financially and the needs of parks, libraries, swim centers and infrastructure are addressed. He said the city has accumulated new challenges as it has grown, making maintenance and financial management increasingly important.<\/p>\n Park also defended lengthy council meetings, saying residents and councilmembers need opportunities to question experts and discuss complicated issues.<\/p>\n \u201cAny meeting where we\u2019re worried about people asking questions is not a meeting,\u201d Park told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMeetings are exactly for the purpose of asking questions. The mayor sets the tone for meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n Karen Hardy<\/p>\n Hardy, 65, has lived in Santa Clara for more than 40 years and has served on the council since 2018. She served as vice mayor in 2020 and has held leadership roles on several city and regional boards, including her current position as vice chair of the Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency.<\/p>\n She retired from Santa Clara Unified School District in June 2025 after teaching mathematics and computer science at Wilcox High School. She started the district\u2019s computer science program and, with fellow educator Suds Jian, launched an after-school robotics program in 2014. Jain is also a councilmember.<\/p>\n Hardy\u2019s campaign<\/a> is focused on expanding housing, keeping utility costs down, maintaining infrastructure and providing strong city services, including police, fire, utilities, roads and parks. She has also emphasized her regional work on water resources and public safety communications.<\/p>\n She describes her governing style as one based on \u201cengagement, respect and decency\u201d and said every Santa Clara resident deserves to have their voice heard.<\/p>\n \u201cI never felt I needed to be mayor. But I\u2019m willing to serve,\u201d Hardy told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIf there were anyone else in the race I felt comfortable with, I would not do it. But I\u2019m willing to serve the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Kathy Watanabe<\/p>\n Watanabe, 66, is seeking to return to Santa Clara City Hall after serving eight years on the council before terming out in 2024. She has lived in Santa Clara for 21 years and serves on the Santa Clara Unified School District board, a position she would resign from if elected mayor. Before entering public office, Watanabe spent four decades as a legal assistant at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York.<\/p>\n Watanabe said she wants to strengthen the relationship between the city and school district and make sure Santa Clara has the amenities families need to remain in the community. She pointed to schools, libraries, healthcare and other services as important components of a sustainable city and said she would like to bring the city, school district, medical and business leaders together to identify opportunities for students and families.<\/p>\n Her campaign<\/a> lists fiscal responsibility, public safety, housing, neighborhood quality of life, economic development and environmental sustainability among her priorities.<\/p>\n Watanabe also emphasized her relationships with the business community and said Santa Clara needs to maintain strong partnerships with major companies. She said she met with San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido earlier this year to discuss improving the city\u2019s relationship<\/a> with the team.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to focus on having the public-private relationship that the city agreed to with the 49ers back in 2010,\u201d Watanabe told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cTalking about the future, having a voice, having transparency and just having a better working relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Wiltberger<\/p>\n Wiltberger, a longtime Santa Clara resident and technology entrepreneur, said he has lived in the city for more than 40 years, where he raised his family and built multiple technology companies. He worked for Johnson & Johnson and co-founded Insightful instruments.<\/p>\n He describes himself as a scientist and tech founder of Optimedica whose work focuses on medical devices designed to restore sight to blind people. Wiltberger\u2019s campaign<\/a> website says his work has resulted in more than 100 patents and publications and the sale of multiple companies valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n According to his campaign website he is 100% self-funded and is not accepting outside money.<\/p>\n Wiltberger said he is running to preserve the opportunities Santa Clara provided him. He wants to build a more cohesive council and make city government more responsive to residents. He wants to move beyond what he calls \u201cestablishment politics\u201d and address divisions on the council, while focusing on the city\u2019s budget, downtown redevelopment<\/a>, retail and infrastructure.<\/p>\n He also emphasizes Santa Clara\u2019s identity as both a center of global innovation and a community with a small-town character.<\/p>\n Wiltberger did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC06423ss-1024x1024.jpg\")
David Kertes has lived in Santa Clara for more than 28 years and is the senior director of sales for North America at Novanta. Photo courtesy of David Kertes.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/KevinNaraPark-headshot.png\")
District 4 Councilmember Kevin Park is running for mayor. He has served on the Santa Clara City Council for six years and lived in the city for about 30 years. Photo courtesy of Kevin Park.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Karen-Hardy-2-1024x576.jpg\")
Karen Hardy has lived in Santa Clara for more than 40 years and has served on the City Council since 2018. Photo courtesy of Karen Hardy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2026-08-13-at-6.15.03-PM.png\")
Watanabe is seeking to return to Santa Clara City Hall after serving eight years on the City Council before terming out in 2024. Photo courtesy of Watanabe\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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