Sam T. Liccardo
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| Sam T. Liccardo | |
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District 3 Councilmember
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| In office 2007 – 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Cindy Chavez |
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| Succeeded by | incumbent |
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| Born | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Councilmember / Politician / District Attorney |
Sam T. Liccardo, 36, represents the downtown district of San Jose, the tenth largest city in the United States. Prior to his election in November of 2006, he served as a prosecutor of sexual assault and child exploitation crimes in the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
Liccardo's family has a long history in downtown San Jose, where three of his grandparents spent much of their lives. One grandfather, Ted Aceves, grew up downtown, and Liccardo's mother, Laura, attended Notre Dame High. His paternal grandparents, Rosalie and Samuel A. Liccardo, lived in the district for decades, and for many years, they ran the Notre Dame Market, a fixture to long-time downtown residents. His father, Salvador, also grew up in the district and attended Bellarmine.
An avid triathlete, Liccardo was honored by the USA Triathlon Association with "All American" status in its 2005 rankings of amateur triathletes in the United States.
[edit] Education
- Liccardo attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San José, Ca., and received a bachelor's degree at Georgetown University, majoring in government with an economics minor. He was captain of the men's heavyweight crew at Georgetown.
- After graduation from Georgetown, Liccardo obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Masters Degree in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
[edit] Election to the San José City Council
Liccardo was elected to the San Jose City Council in November 2006 and was sworn into office on January 9, 2007.
Liccardo was elected over a heavily favored opponent, former District 5 City Councilmember & California State Assemblymember Manny J. Diaz, but Liccardo defeated Diaz by over 20 points in the November 7, 2006 election. He succeeded former Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez who served two terms.
Liccardo's campaign was successful largely because of the strong neighborhood support he received--including 23 neighborhood association presidents throughout the District. He also was a tireless campaigner, walking nearly all the 50 precincts in the City Council District.
During the campaign, Diaz was criticized heavily by neighborhood leaders for his professional lobbying efforts since he left the State Assembly. In particular, Diaz claimed that he was "on leave" from his lobbying practice and that he was not lobbying for a railroad interest against stricter clean air emissions.
