Cindy Chavez Biography
Cindy Chavez is an American politician who serves as a County supervisor in Santa Clara representing 400,000 residents in Downtown, East, and South of San Jose. She is also the Vice President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Her public service career began in the 1990s as a policy analyst for health care, public health, human services and transportation for the Board of Supervisors.
She served two terms on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor, and also served on the board leadership of public agencies such as the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and executive director of Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She is a graduate of San Jose State University, is married and has a son in high school.
Cindy Chavez Age
Cindy Chavez was born on April 7, 1964, in Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States. Cindy Chavez is 55 years old as of 2018.
Cindy Chavez Net worth
Cindy Chavez earns his income from his businesses and other organization that he represents. She is the Vice President of Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the $400 million Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and is a member of the CalTrain Board of Directors and will play a leadership role in the electrification of CalTrain and high-speed rail. Her net worth is under review but we will update you in due time.
Cindy Chavez Education
Cindy Chavez attended Moreau Catholic High School. He then joined San José State University in California.
Cindy Chavez Santa Clara County Supervisor
Cindy Chavez was elected as the County supervisor of Santa Clara, she chairs the Board’s with Children, Families and Seniors Committee, and she serves on the Finance and Government Operations Committee. She also serves as a Vice-Chair of the $400 million Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and is a member of the CalTrain Board of Directors and will play a leadership role in the electrification of CalTrain and high-speed rail. She is also a Director of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. She has led the efforts to create jail diversion programs for mentally ill offenders and the homeless including sobering stations, crisis stabilization beds, and mobile crisis teams.
She was the architect of Santa Clara County’s successful $950-million dollar housing bond in the November 2016 election that will be instrumental in getting housing built for the mentally ill and homeless. Similarly, she worked to develop a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth, a large percentage who were kicked out of their homes. In 2017, she joined the County in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration – Trump vs Santa Clara County – when the administration threatened to withhold federal funds affecting hospitals, social services and thousands of children, Seniors and the disabled.
The Trump Administration targeted Santa Clara County for its “sanctuary city” status. A federal judge ruled in Santa Clara County’s favor. Under Chavez’s leadership, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved bail reforms for low-level and non-violent offenders making Santa Clara County the first in the state of California to take action. The reforms are designed to reduce the number of people in jail and prompted the California legislature to take action. She worked to streamline and improve Santa Clara County’s foster care system to include schools and improve the dually-involved youth system merging child welfare with juvenile justice.
Under Chavez’s leadership, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved $6 million to built a new resource center for foster youth (The Hub) to provide resources so they complete their education, apply to and get into college and get jobs and basic services. She also is taking action against human trafficking with the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission she founded and co-chairs with the Santa Clara County Sheriff and District Attorney.
Cindy Chavez City Council
Cindy Chavez was elected as a member as a city council in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. In 2005, she was chosen by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and confirmed by the council to serve as Vice Mayor. As a former Downtown District Three Council Representative, Chavez chaired the Rules Committee and served on the Downtown Parking Board, Guadalupe River Park Task Force, Police and Fire Retirement Board, San Jose Beautiful and the SJ/SC Treatment Plant Advisory Committee.
Additionally, she served on local and regional bodies, including the Valley Transportation Authority as vice-chair, VTA Policy Advisory Board and Nanotechnology Infrastructure and Assets Subcommittee. Prior to her election to the City Council, Chavez had served as the staff director of labor-aligned Working Partnerships USA and as the Director of Education and Outreach for the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She also served for three years as budget and policy aide to then-Supervisor Ron Gonzales.
Cindy Chavez Campaign for Mayor
In 2006, Cindy Chavez ran for mayor in a field of ten candidates hoping to succeed termed-out, Ron Gonzales. In the mayoral primary held on June 6, 2006, in a crowded field of ten candidates, Chavez qualified for the two-person primary against Chuck Reed. During the early stages of the campaign, Chavez out-raised her opponents and was the frontrunner in some polls.
He was secured by many high-profile endorsements, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, the Silicon Valley Young Democrats, Congressman Mike Honda and former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer, former US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and former US President Bill Clinton. However, after she came in second place in the primary voting held on June 6, 2006; Ms. Chavez was never able to regain her early lead and her opponent, Chuck Reed, was leading in all the major polls going into the run-off election.
Cindy Chavez After San Jose City Council
Chavez became the Executive Officer of South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council in March 2009. The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council represents ninety unions and over 100,000 union members in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. The Labor Council’s stated objective is to advance candidates, causes, and policies that benefit working families. It achieves this objective with a combination of activities, including community organizing, leadership training, campaigning, and issues advocacy.
The Labor Council is proud to run the largest, most sophisticated, grassroots political campaign operation in the South San Francisco Bay area. She was also the Executive Director of Working Partnerships with the USA, which a labor-aligned advocacy group. Among its signature accomplishments are pioneering the Children’s Health Initiative, making Santa Clara County the first in the nation to provide health coverage to every child and securing passage of the San Jose Living Wage ordinance.
She worked as an instructor of local civics at her alma mater San José State University. When the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office began an investigation into Supervisor George Shirakawa Jr.’s misuse of county funds, Chavez resigned her position with the South Bay Labor Council. After Shirakawa resigned and pleaded guilty to five felonies and seven misdemeanors, Chavez announced that she would run for the District 2 seat.
In early 2013, she was elected as the Vice-Chair of Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee. On June 4, 2013, she qualified for the runoff and faced Teresa Alvarado in the July 2013 special election. On August 20, 2013, she was sworn-in as Santa Clara County’s District 2 Supervisor.