SAN JOSE, Calif. — Ed Berger cast his vote for Cindy Chavez in the San Jose mayor’s race, but he wasn’t totally surprised by the political veteran’s narrow loss to newcomer Matt Mahan.
While he thought Chavez did a fine job representing the downtown area on the City Council years ago, the Northside Neighborhood Association president felt Mahan had tapped into a frustration among residents that put Chavez, now a Santa Clara County supervisor, on the defensive. Many feel the neighborhood has been “overrun” with homeless people, and aren’t clear what Chavez and the county — the key local provider of homeless services — have been doing to help.
“That may have been part of Cindy’s problem,” Berger said.
