Sam T. Liccardo
Sam T. Liccardo, 36, was elected onto the San José City Council in November 2006 replacing termed out Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez. Prior to his election in November 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 longtime downtown residents.
Liccardo, an avid triathlete, was honored by the USA Triathlon Association with "All American" status in its 2005 rankings of amateur triathletes in the United States.
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.
Election to the San José City Council
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 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.
Policy Emphasis on the City Council
- Liccardo has made affordable housing a major priority, introducing a measure to expand San Jose's inclusionary zoning policy citywide. That effort passed council in late-2008, making San Jose the largest city in the United States with a citywide policy requiring developers to provide affordable units in every development(or to pay fees to build those units).
- Liccardo has been an advocate for mass transit, pushing for a successful county measure to fund a BART rail extension to Silicon Valley in 2008. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority.
- Liccardo advocates for downtown development, crafting with Mayor Reed the Peralta Action Plan to coordinate almost $1 billion in public and private investment in the northwest quarter of the downtown. He has succeeded in passing council initiatives to defer fees for high-rise residential developers, and to clear obstacles for a downtown major grocery store.[2]
- Liccardo's environmental stewardship has been demonstrated by such efforts as his initiatives to boost cycling as a commute option in the downtown, to bring car-share and bike-share projects to San Jose, and to ban the city's purchase of plastic water bottles. Sam also helped to lead the successful effort to ban single-use paper and plastic bags, drafting the measure that council ultimately approved, making San Jose the largest U.S. city to do so. The Chair of the city's Transportation and Environment committee, Sam often rides his bike to work, and relies upon solar panels to provide power to his home.
- Councilmember Liccardo has advocated for immigrant rights since his election to the City Council in January 2007. He drafted a successful resolution supporting undocumented immigrant rights & public safety, to ensure that immigrant members of the community would not fear seeking emergency services.
Personal
Liccardo resides in a century-old bungalow in Downtown San José's Northside neighborhood. His partner, Jessica Garcia-Kohl, is an executive with a local non-profit organization.
References
External links
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