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<h2>4. Safer and More Affordable Building Codes</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/2b17a184-ee64-413c-8058-1b558fcca498/2b17a184-ee64-413c-8058-1b558fcca498.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2141%2C2560&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="35" variant="base">Building codes are what ensure that our homes and buildings are safe. But as more and more codes are added each year, the costs of meeting these requirements, many decades old, have skyrocketed. For example, new apartment buildings in California are required to have twice as many staircases, and elevators that are much larger than those in apartment buildings around the world. Our building codes need a hard reset, so that we can build homes that are safer and more affordable. As Governor, I would update and rationalize these building codes and bring them into the 21st century. I will make sure building codes are set based on the evidence, draw on best practices from around the world, and make sure that every new rule takes into account housing affordability.

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<h3>While Sacramento politicians retreated into partisan silos, Matt helped lead the campaign for Proposition 36, uniting Democrats, independents, and local officials across California behind a common-sense approach to accountability, social services integration, and treatment.</h3>Californians overwhelmingly agreed, passing Proposition 36 with nearly 70% of the vote.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/cdb73e8c-812a-4c66-ae2e-fa87990ad28d/cdb73e8c-812a-4c66-ae2e-fa87990ad28d.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C698%2C892&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="32.5" variant="base">It is fair to say that Californians have had enough.Well-intentioned policies to reduce incarceration have too often given way to rising overdose deaths, retail theft, and street homelessness. Voters are demanding a system that balances compassion with accountability — and delivers real results.Right now, individuals in crisis who desperately need multiple public services are instead trapped in a fragmented and disconnected system.In practice, it can be easier to remain on the streets than to navigate the maze of bureaucratic agencies required to receive care.This lack of alignment — and failure to tie funding to measurable outcomes — has left billions spent without delivering results.And for California residents, the impact is staggering:<ul><li>Since 2014, California has seen a sharp rise in homelessness, even as most other states have seen reductions. Today, more than 180,000 Californians are homeless, and nearly half struggle with substance abuse. </li><li>Fatal drug overdoses have surged, now claiming over 10,000 lives annually, and have become the leading cause of death for Californians under 45. </li><li>Drug overdose deaths in California have more than doubled, and homelessness has increased by about 45% since 2018. </li><li>Meanwhile, retail theft has imposed what many call a “theft tax” on working families — raising prices and forcing businesses to close or scale back operations. </li><li>On average, California spends over $50,000 per year per chronically homeless individual on emergency services, healthcare, and public safety.</li></ul><h3>For Matt, this is Personal</h3>When Matt was growing up, his cousin struggled with addiction. He sold his car for drug money and disappeared onto the streets. For years, his family lived with the fear of a late-night phone call telling them he hadn’t survived. Eventually, his family intervened — forcing him into treatment and saving his life. Today, he is alive because someone stepped in when he could not help himself. Not everyone has a family who can step in and save their life. But every Californian deserves a state that will.In practice, it can be easier to remain on the streets than to navigate the maze of bureaucratic agencies required to receive care.<h3>Delivering the Promise of Proposition 36</h3>In 2014, California passed Proposition 47 to reduce incarceration for nonviolent offenses. While it succeeded in lowering the prison population, it also removed key tools that judges and prosecutors used to require treatment for repeat drug offenders and break cycles of addiction and crime.Since reducing certain low-level drug possession and theft offenses via Proposition 47 in 2014, participation in California’s drug court programs has declined significantly, limiting one of the most effective tools for connecting people to treatment and social services to address major root causes of crime – poverty, mental health crises, and addiction.Proposition 36 restores those tools. It allows judges to mandate treatment, strengthens accountability for repeat<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/30868fc6-020f-4175-ad20-4fcfd8f1a132/30868fc6-020f-4175-ad20-4fcfd8f1a132.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C711%2C832&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="35" variant="base"> offenders, and targets fentanyl trafficking that is driving overdose deaths across the state.True compassion means refusing to let our most vulnerable neighbors languish and die on our sidewalks while battling severe mental illness and addiction.The nearly 70% of voters who passed Proposition 36 were clear: this is not about returning to mass incarceration — it is about building an era of mass treatment that combines accountability with real access to care, and meets people where they are while refusing to abandon them to the streets.That’s why hundreds of local elected officials — including Democrats, independents, and leaders from California’s largest cities — came together to support Proposition 36. They see the consequences of inaction every day, and they know the status quo is failing.But Sacramento still refuses to implement it. Matt Mahan will.<h3>The San Diego Model</h3><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/6cb024cf-82d0-4bad-942f-5e2a59fca051/6cb024cf-82d0-4bad-942f-5e2a59fca051.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1508%2C1617&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="base">San Diego County has already shown that effective Proposition 36 implementation is possible. Despite limited state funding, local leaders aligned courts, law enforcement, and behavioral health providers around a shared goal: getting people into treatment. According to the San Diego District Attorney, over 96% of eligible defendants are now routed into treatment pathways through court-supervised programs — instead of cycling on and off the streets without intervention.This progress was driven by strong coordination across local agencies, from prosecutors and local courts to public defenders and mental healthcare providers, to deliver results.San Diego unified disconnected agencies around a shared goal of bringing people indoors, and overcame the hurdles of limited treatment capacity. While this collaborative effort proves that a human-centered approach to mandated treatment works, relying on locally patched-together resources is not sustainable. Matt’s plan dedicates statewide funding to make this model scalable and effective across all of California.San Diego County has already shown that effective Proposition 36 implementation is possible.To fulfill the voters’ mandate and usher in an era of mass treatment, Matt Mahan’s comprehensive Proposition 36 platform focuses on building capacity, closing legal loopholes, and demanding strict county accountability.<h2 style="text-align: center;">Here is His Plan</h2><h3>Matt Mahan’s Plan to Fully Implement Proposition 36</h3>To deliver on the promise of Proposition 36, California must expand treatment capacity, improve government efficiency, and hold agencies accountable for results. As Governor, Matt Mahan will:<h3>1. Fund and Build Mass Treatment Infrastructure</h3>Proposition 36 created new felony pathways but did not supply the funding required to carry them out. While the state provided $110 million in one-time funding, a more realistic price tag for effective mass treatment is closer to $250 to $450 million annually. To fulfill the promise of Proposition 36 California still must:<ul><li>Build at least 10,000+ Treatment Beds: California must radically expand its capacity by adding at least 10,000 new treatment beds by 2030 to meet the unmet need. </li><li>We Can Fund These Beds Without New Taxes: This expansion will be funded by using Proposition 1 funds and by auditing existing homelessness spending to identify ineffective or duplicative programs, and redirecting those dollars toward treatment capacity, avoiding the need to burden Californians with new taxes. </li><li>Unite Disconnected Community Services &amp; Programs: While physical facilities are being built, counties must systematically connect individuals to case management and outpatient treatment, and ensure that they stick with the program. San Diego County has successfully brought the majority of people into treatment under a program that connects people mandated into treatment by a judge to a network of mental healthcare providers, and ensures consistent case management throughout that journey. This approach can be expanded statewide.</li></ul>This helps all Californians live a healthier, more sustainable life in our beautiful state. Under Matt’s leadership, the state will step in to play this critical role if counties fail to do so.<ul><li>Require Health and Safety Net System Integration: Serving people during critical times of need through our safety net services requires extraordinary coordination and collaboration. Government agencies, community partners, and service providers must meet people where they are by creating a “One Stop Shop” for safety net programs connecting people to the basics — food, shelter, social services, and/or addiction treatment. This collaboration requires critical funding, and more efficient ways of doing business in the state. </li><li>Require Local “Fair Share” Implementation: Matt will require counties to spend a commensurate share of their existing funds on emergency interim housing, mental health and addiction services to concentrate efforts towards meeting the most pressing needs of those who have fallen through the cracks of our broken systems.</li></ul><h3>2. Unify Local Court Standards</h3>Court practices for dealing with petty offenders and people struggling with poverty, mental health crises and addiction vary widely across the state. To usher in mass treatment, we must bring uniformity to how courts treat our residents who can graduate from cycles of poverty and other challenges, making our state a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. To implement Proposition 36, Mahan will:<ul><li>Ensure Fairness &amp; Consistency in our Courts: Matt will use transparent data reporting to hold judges publicly accountable for greater consistency in how they sentence repeat offenders. New standards will ensure statewide compliance with treatment mandates across all 58 counties to promote greater consistency across the state, the only way to address crime and public safety in our state. We need a uniform application of laws when it comes to how we treat Californians who break the law. </li><li>Tie Budgets to Performance: Matt will use budget policy to require that Behavioral Health Departments partner with courts and external service providers to effectively direct offenders to proper sentencing, treatment plans, and assessments needed to address the root causes of some criminal activity — poverty, mental health crises, and/or addiction. Like a medical condition, these conditions need proper diagnoses, care, and treatment plans to help move people forward to a better, healthier life. This helps all Californians live a healthier, more sustainable life in our beautiful state. Under Matt’s leadership, the State will step in to play this critical role if counties fail to do so. </li><li>Close Repeat Offender Loopholes: While service and treatment can be key to addressing lower-level crimes, we will require courts and law enforcement agencies to monitor treatment completion rates and hold repeat offenders accountable for changing their behavior.</li></ul><h3>Conclusion</h3>California voted for change — now we need to deliver.For too long, we’ve asked people in crisis to navigate a broken system on their own — and paid the price in lives lost, communities strained, and billions spent without results.California voters were clear: they want a system that balances compassion with accountability — and that delivers real results. Proposition 36 gives the state the tools to connect people to treatment, strengthen accountability, and stop abandoning our most vulnerable to the streets.We need the political will to fully implement Proposition 36 — to intervene earlier, connect people to treatment, and refuse to give up on those who can’t help themselves.That means building real treatment capacity, setting clear and consistent court standards across all 58 counties, and holding every level of government accountable for results — not just intentions.Because not everyone has a family who can step in and save their life. But every Californian deserves a state that will.If we follow through on that commitment, we can finally deliver on the promise of Proposition 36 and build a safer, healthier California.<h3>Endnotes</h3><ol><li>CalMatters, “California’s homelessness crisis — and possible solutions — explained,” 2025.</li><li>California Health Policy Strategies, “Policy Brief: Fatal Overdoses in California: 2018–2023,” 2024.</li><li>The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress,” 2023.</li><li>UCSF, “Toward a New Understanding: The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness,” 2023.</li><li>California Health Policy Strategies, L.L.C., “Policy Brief: Fatal Overdoses in California: 2017–2021,” 2023.</li><li>California Health Policy Strategies, L.L.C., “Policy Brief: Fatal Overdoses in California: 2018–2023,” 2025.</li><li>CalMatters, “California’s homelessness crisis – and possible solutions – explained,” 2025.</li><li>The Mercury News, “Opinion: ‘Theft tax’ is costing California families more than $500 per year,” 2023.</li><li>CBS, “Audit finds California spent $24B on homelessness in 5 years, didn’t consistently track outcomes,” 2024.</li><li>Center for Court Innovation, “Drug Courts in the Age of Sentencing Reform,” 2020.</li><li>The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress,” 2023.</li><li>Public Policy Institute of California, “Early Implementation of Prop 36 Varies Widely across Counties,” 2025.</li><li>UC Berkeley, “Proposition 1: The Behavioral Health Services Program and Bond Measure. Authorizes $6.38 Billion in Bonds to Build Mental Health Treatment Facilities for Those With Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges; Provides Housing for the Homeless. Legislative Statute,” 2024.</li><li>San Diego County District Attorney, “Proposition 36: Making Our Community Safer,” 2026.</li></ol>

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"My dad was a union letter carrier; my mom was a school teacher. This state has given me everything: an education and the opportunity to enter the middle class. I’m running for Governor because I don't think every kid growing up in a farming town, or in our cities, or in our working-class neighborhoods will get the same chance today. We need government to do better."—Mayor Matt Mahan

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<h2>This is my plan to get back to basics on housing, and build a more affordable California</h2>

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<h2>WORKING FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD $7 GAS.</h2>California has the highest gas taxes in the nation. Working families didn’t start the war in the Persian Gulf — they shouldn’t be the ones paying for it.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/ebd6e658-4912-4d19-866c-6018084ded11/ebd6e658-4912-4d19-866c-6018084ded11.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1176%2C174&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="center" alignwidth="40" variant="base"><h5>The Crisis at the Pump</h5><h3>Working Families Deserve Relief — Right Now</h3><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/955607c6-bdf6-42b9-8272-2d96bccd5142/955607c6-bdf6-42b9-8272-2d96bccd5142.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=138%2C0%2C1148%2C1342&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">California families are being squeezed from every direction. Gas prices are surging up to $7 a gallon — the consequence of Trump’s war in the Persian Gulf. But there is one lever Sacramento can pull right now: suspend our state gas taxes.California’s gas taxes add more than 60 cents to every single gallon — the highest in the entire country. That burden falls on working people who have no choice but to drive. They can’t work from home. They can’t opt out.<h5>“Sacramento has the power to give working Californians real, immediate relief at the pump. A temporary gas tax suspension isn’t a political statement — it’s a common-sense solution for working families, and I’m willing to fight for it, even if that means standing up to the status quo.”</h5>— MATT MAHAN, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIAThis isn’t ideology — it’s common sense. Other states have suspended gas taxes during price spikes. Because it is just common sense and common decency to help people in an emergency.&nbsp; Matt Mahan is a common-sense Democrat who believes the party of working people should actually stand up for working people. California has a $350 billion budget, a budget that has increased 75% in just the last six years. We have the revenue to fix our roads and bring needed relief to Californians.&nbsp; Sign the petition and demand relief now.

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<h2>2. Slash Bureaucracy so More Homes Break Ground</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/0de36ae6-f49d-4fcd-94be-fd47d1a5281b/0de36ae6-f49d-4fcd-94be-fd47d1a5281b.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2005%2C2560&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="32.5" variant="base">Regulatory delays can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home. I believe no one should be waiting years for a new home because their government is slow at processing permits. Progress has already been made on this front, but we need to go much faster. As Mayor, I imposed tight timelines for my city to issue permits. As Governor, I would require every local government to transparently report the status of each permit on a public dashboard. I would require cities to process permits in less than 30 days, and improve each year. If local governments continually fail to meet permitting deadlines, home builders should be allowed to use properly qualified and licensed third-party planners and building inspectors to review permits instead.

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<h2>3. Homes at the Speed of Industry</h2>After World War II, the availability of cheap, mass-produced consumer goods like washing machines and TVs created the foundation of the American middle class. Now, we need a mass mobilization to industrialize housing production to be able to build new homes at a price point that middle class families can afford.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/307daf54-237f-4295-b632-d8f4cdaac007/307daf54-237f-4295-b632-d8f4cdaac007.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1536%2C1024&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="base"> That’s what Sweden has done, with over 50% of its new homes being largely built in factories. New homes built fully or partially in factories can be delivered more than 30% faster and 20% cheaper than conventional production methods — and that is at current production rates. If we dramatically increase economies of scale we can dramatically cut construction costs even more. While they are much less expensive to build, modern factory-built homes are equal to or superior in safety and aesthetics to traditional methods.

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<h2>Matt Mahan is a new kind of Democrat running for Governor to get California Back to Basics—and there’s nothing more basic than making housing in California truly affordable.</h2>&nbsp;CALIFORNIA COSTS TOO MUCH. And at the very root of the problem is the high cost of housing. To fix California, we need to start here. If we get the most basic need for affordable housing right, we will be getting California back on the right track.High rents and expensive homes are driving families and high-wage jobs out of California. Expensive housing is the main driver of homelessness, and too many Californians are just one financial emergency away&nbsp;from not being able to pay the rent and ending up on the street.Our housing crisis also makes it more difficult to hire teachers, child care workers and police officers. It’s why so many of them show up to work exhausted after long commutes from the nearest home they can afford, and why so many are thinking of leaving the state entirely.For too long, well-meaning state and local governments have made it too hard and too expensive to build housing Californians can afford. The state estimates we need to build 315,000 homes per year — but we’re building barely one-third of that. It now costs nearly twice as much to build housing in California as it does in Colorado, and up to three times more than it does in Texas.As Mayor of San Jose, the third largest city in California, I learned first-hand what it took to get new housing built. I took on the special interests and slashed taxes and fees on new housing, and now thousands of new homes are under construction.Under my leadership, the city cut permitting times dramatically and created a pathway for infill projects that complied with zoning to get permits without fear of bogus environmental lawsuits — all to get new affordable homes built faster. The city is now using new technology in our building department to process the approval of low-cost backyard cottages faster, and we are on track to make major reforms to our building codes that would make it easier to build starter homes.My mission is to make California an affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. As Governor, I will attack the taxes, red tape and junk lawsuits that drive up housing costs. I will hold local governments accountable for following state laws, and not standing in the way of new homes getting built. I will get better value for your tax dollars, by delivering more affordable homes for each dollar spent and by supporting first time home buyers in a way that allows the state to recoup its money when the house is sold. And I will help homeowners make their homes safe from wildfires, and drive down the cost of home insurance across the state. Our housing crisis is immense, but the solutions to it are clear if we just have the political courage to take them on.

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<h2>1. Untax New Housing</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/e5683aca-b891-4744-a32b-93d8f05ebe4d/e5683aca-b891-4744-a32b-93d8f05ebe4d.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1950%2C2560&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="30" variant="base">California is taxing new housing out of existence, with local taxes and “fees” that can cost up to $150,000 per unit and are, on average, the highest in the nation. Everything from public art requirements and park fees to unfunded inclusionary zoning mandates add to the cost of new homes, keeping hundreds of thousands of new homes from ever breaking ground. No one should be priced out of buying a home because of a public art requirement. As Mayor, I slashed fees on new housing, resulting in thousands of homes breaking ground. As Governor, I will provide a two-year tax holiday to jumpstart construction, and set a cap on fees and taxes on new infill housing. This includes preventing local governments from imposing exorbitant sales or transfer taxes on new infill housing, like LA’s Measure ULA. The simplest way to make new housing more affordable is to cut the taxes and fees that make it so expensive.

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California is a great state, and we deserve so much better. Right now, so many are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, to afford housing close to work, or even think about saving for the future.&nbsp; Our leaders must do more. We shouldn’t have to choose between a dangerous MAGA agenda or the same path of funding failure by throwing more money at our problems with no accountability.&nbsp;&nbsp; There’s a different way. Matt brings a different, proven approach.&nbsp; Matt won’t ask Californians to pay more in taxes for no improvement. But he will make&nbsp;Sacramento drive down the cost of living, build more affordable housing, and make sure all kids have an opportunity to succeed. Matt knows that the best way to fight for our California values is to make our government work for all Californians.

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Lowering the cost of housing, bringing everyone indoors, launching an era of mass treatment for the addictions and mental health conditions trapping too many people on the streets, lifting up every school, and building an economy that works for everyone. These are the basics and Matt Mahan will fight for our values by helping to fix California.

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Mayor Matt Mahan was raised by working-class parents: a school teacher and a member of the letter carriers’ union.</h2>Growing up in Watsonville (where your strawberries come from!), his neighbors were farmworkers and families like his own who lived paycheck to paycheck.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/8e16de3f-d9d9-4164-97c6-48ed0e6eedf7/8e16de3f-d9d9-4164-97c6-48ed0e6eedf7.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1753%2C1069&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="base"><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/309f1c43-824c-4b6d-bdc4-63d319dcd438/309f1c43-824c-4b6d-bdc4-63d319dcd438.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1753%2C1069&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" variant="base"><h4>The topics at the dinner table each night revolved around two things that most of us have been told not to talk about: politics and religion. These lively conversations sparked Mayor Matt’s early interest in civic issues like crime, unemployment, and fixing under-performing schools.</h4>When it came time for high school, his mother wanted him to think big. Susan Mahan was a teacher – and she knew that the local high school had a higher drop-out rate than graduation rate. She wanted better for her children.Matt decided to make the long, often four-hour-a-day commute by public bus to San Jose to attend Bellarmine College Prep, which offered him a full work-study scholarship as a low-income student. There, he was active in community service and student government, joined the wrestling team, and worked on the grounds crew to pay for his education.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/b05f928a-3b6d-4a81-821d-6baff08e665f/b05f928a-3b6d-4a81-821d-6baff08e665f.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2331%2C1317&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="base">Mayor Matt went on to Harvard, where he was an honors student and student body president. While there, he co-led the first successful campaign to end the University’s investment in companies supporting the war in Darfur, lived down the hall from Mark Zuckerberg – and most importantly, met the woman who would become his wife and the mother of his children, Silvia.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/596205be-cb0f-4201-8edd-7e42af21a0c5/596205be-cb0f-4201-8edd-7e42af21a0c5.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2331%2C1317&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="42.5" variant="base">After graduating, Mayor Matt spent a year in Bolivia building irrigation systems with family farmers to increase their economic opportunities. He then returned to San Jose to teach middle school English and history in San Jose’s East Side community through the Teach for America program.There, he worked long days, coaching the soccer team and keeping his classroom open after school as a safe space for his students to learn. To this day, he still gets texts from his former students.When Mayor Matt’s Teach for America program came to a close, he joined Causes, a startup and early Facebook application that enabled people to raise awareness and funds for their favorite nonprofits. Over the course of five years, Mayor Matt worked his way up from Director of Business Development to COO and eventually CEO. Causes ultimately grew to 190 million users in over 150 countries, and helped individuals fundraise over $50 million for nonprofits in the U.S. alone.In 2014, he co-founded Brigade, which built the world’s first voter network: a nonpartisan platform for voters to discuss issues, advocate to their elected officials, and vote for candidates who reflect their values. Brigade ultimately reached millions of voters and its innovative engagement solutions and early success led it to be acquired in 2019 by Pinterest and Countable, respectively.Mayor Matt has long been deeply involved in the community. After serving on a number of neighborhood and civic boards, including the City of San Jose’s Clean Energy Advisory Commission, Matt made the decision to run for City Council in 2020 because he believed the answer to every problem should not always be another tax, another measure or another regulation.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/bf785038-b22e-4050-a7fa-3a9c4cdda31b/bf785038-b22e-4050-a7fa-3a9c4cdda31b.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2331%2C1317&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="center" alignwidth="50" variant="base">He knew that government needed to live within its means and find ways to work smarter – just as he had seen his parents and neighbors do each month growing up. He knocked on 10,000 doors – as he earned the trust of his neighbors, going on to win the race overwhelmingly.Once he entered office, Matt’s focus was on improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods by making City Hall more responsive and accountable, especially on the issues of public safety, homelessness, infrastructure and cleaning up our streets.&nbsp;During his time on the city council, Mayor Matt made good on his promises.But he knew San Jose city government desperately needed one important value – focus. He ran for Mayor to get government back to basics. In that race he faced long odds and took on a better-known, long-term political leader with a significant financial advantage. He won by making a simple pledge – he would focus relentlessly on Getting Government Back to Basics.His first initiative was reducing the City Council’s top priorities from 40 to 4. He knew that city resources were being spread too thin, and residents couldn’t afford another tax to fill the gap. In order to make real progress, he knew city government needed to act first on the issues that mattered most, starting with public safety, housing, and street homelessness.That focus paid off. Last year, San Jose was rated the safest big city in the nation. It’s the only city in the nation that has solved 100% of homicides nearly four years running.Matt believes there are two sure-fire ways to keep crime low: assure consequences and build trust. People now know, if they harm San Jose, they will be found and held accountable. They also know their neighborhood police officer. San Jose did this by strategically targeting investments in technology and working to build trust through transparency and time spent in the community.Mayor Matt knows that public safety is the fundamental responsibility of government – so when he saw that repeat theft was harming his city and small businesses were paying the price, he knew he had to act.It’s why he became one of the main proponents of Prop 36 in 2024, which Californians overwhelmingly passed with nearly 70% of the vote. Matt won his second term for Mayor that same year in a landslide – winning the support of 87% of his neighbors who had started to see progress on the issues they cared about most.But in the time since, Prop 36 has not been fully implemented – which is why Matt has continued to advocate for an era of mass treatment to help people suffering on the streets, and stealing to survive, to get the treatment they need to recover.Matt knows Prop 36 won’t solve our addiction crisis alone. We need to get people indoors and address the underlying mental or physical health crises fueling their addictions. That includes interrupting cycles of chronic homelessness – on which San Jose has made massive progress under Mahan’s leadership.Mayor Matt shifted the city’s approach on homelessness from one based on expensive, nearly $1 million-per-door units to one that acts quickly and efficiently by building safe, interim shelter sites. This shift has led to the largest expansion of shelter in any city on the West Coast and reduced the number of people living outdoors in San Jose by nearly a third.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/8167a826-2c5a-4b42-af15-bebd2aa7ac6a/8167a826-2c5a-4b42-af15-bebd2aa7ac6a.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2331%2C1317&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="center" alignwidth="50" variant="base">Matt understands we can’t continue to make progress on homelessness without a governor who knows what local communities need. That’s why he supports a restoration of state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) dollars and a fair share framework that ensures each city is making progress.This bold new approach is helping the most vulnerable among us move indoors, but just as Matt fought successfully to make it faster and more affordable to help homeless neighbors find housing, he is working overtime to make housing more affordable and accessible for everyone.The reality is this: we have broken the housing market in California. The good news? Mayor Matt is focused on the comprehensive solutions that will help fix it.In 2024, San Jose saw zero construction starts for new market-rate housing. The problem wasn’t that the government was saying no to projects — the problem was they simply weren’t “penciling out”, meaning it would cost home-builders more to construct the units than they could make back by renting or selling them.That’s why at the start of 2025, Mayor Matt proposed reducing fees and the Council agreed. That year, San Jose broke ground on 2,000 units. And in early 2026, the Council voted to further reduce fees, likely unlocking over 2,000 more units.But Mayor Matt knows we need to do more than reduce fees – we need to get creative.Downtown office vacancies are high, and so is the demand for housing. That’s why Matt has proposed changing the rules to make it easier to convert empty commercial buildings into something our state desperately needs — more homes.San Jose’s Downtown Residential Incentive Program has already enabled 1,226 homes across three projects in the urban core. This year, Mayor Matt fought to expand that same incentive to office-to-housing conversions by removing the financial barriers that make these projects impossible to pencil — including development fees and inclusionary requirements for qualifying projects.One of the most exciting examples is the historic Bank of Italy building in San Jose. This 100-year-old building helps define the city’s skyline, but for years, it has sat empty. Now, it’s poised to become housing — bringing new life, new residents, and new activity to the heart of the city.This is how we fix still-struggling downtowns — turning empty buildings into homes, bringing people back, and making our cities safer, more vibrant, and more economically resilient.But we can’t continue to make progress on our housing crisis without a governor who knows what we need. That’s why Matt will work to eliminate bureaucratic barriers to housing approvals, lower and defer fees statewide, unlock surplus government land, train the workforce we need, unlock private-sector financing, and promote dramatically lower-cost construction methods, like factory built units.On fiscal issues, Mayor Matt knows what it’s like to balance a budget – at home and on behalf of one million San Jose residents. He’s had to make tough tradeoffs – disappointing some for the good of many. In doing so, he’s gotten San Jose back to basics. And he made sure residents could see the needle move. He strongly believes that our government should do better with the dollars we send them now before they ask us to pay even more.That’s why Mayor Matt brought real transparency and accountability to how our tax dollars are spent. He launched real-time dashboards to identify goals, share the rationale for how we reach those goals, and ensure that if a program or policy wasn’t working, the City could shift quickly toward something new.He believes we need more transparency from the top – and to take a hard look at wasteful programs. Because if they aren’t working, why are we continuing to fund them?&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/9f0de4af-4aab-41dc-a551-c1fb15d9125b/9f0de4af-4aab-41dc-a551-c1fb15d9125b.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1753%2C1069&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" variant="base">Early in 2026, Matt got home from work and his wife Silvia told him he needed to run. And after many long conversations at the kitchen table, it was decided. Silvia, Nina and Luke were behind him 100%.Mayor Matt is running for Governor because he knows California needs a fighter AND a fixer.&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/2487444a-7371-4784-8ce7-9106fe7e925e/2487444a-7371-4784-8ce7-9106fe7e925e.webp?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1753%2C1069&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="base">He’ll take the lessons he’s learned in San Jose and make sure cities and local governments have what they need to create change – because the best resistance to the divisive politics that plagues us is a focus on results.Mayor Matt and his wife Silvia live in the Almaden neighborhood, where they are raising their two young children, Nina and Luke. They are members of Holy Spirit Church.

<h2>5. Fewer Lawsuits, More Homes</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/8c7047c3-7c5e-4e75-9d68-90ce7156410b/8c7047c3-7c5e-4e75-9d68-90ce7156410b.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C8192%2C5464&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" variant="base">Over the past ten years, most new multi-family buildings in California are rental properties. That’s in part because of a state law passed in 2002 that opened the door for junk lawsuits against builders of condominiums, which have been traditional “starter homes” for people seeking to gain financial independence and stability through home ownership.As Governor, I will take on the special interests and reform these laws, starting with a right to repair that would more effectively hold builders accountable for shoddy work while also preventing frivolous lawsuits. This simple fix would spur the building of more starter homes, and help more Californians access homeownership. Colorado has already implemented many of these fixes, and we need to do the same here in California.As Governor, I will also continue to build on the work that I have done in San Jose and that was taken up by the state last year to stop junk environmental lawsuits blocking new infill housing. New homes near transit and in walkable existing communities are a huge benefit to the environment, and should not be treated as pollution.

<h2>Privacy Policy and Terms &amp; Conditions</h2>Effective Date: January 29, 2026Mahan for Governor 2026 (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website <a href="https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com">https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com</a> (the “Service”).This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you visit or interact with our Service, and the choices you have regarding that information. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.<h2>Definitions</h2><ul><li>Service The website <a href="https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com">https://www.mahanforcalifornia.com</a> operated by Mahan for Governor 2026.</li><li>Personal Data Information that identifies or relates to an identifiable individual, such as name, email address, phone number, or mailing address.</li><li>Usage Data Information collected automatically about how users interact with the Service.</li><li>Cookies Small data files stored on your device that help improve functionality and analytics.</li><li>Data Controller Mahan for Governor 2026, which determines the purposes and means of processing Personal Data.</li><li>Service Providers Third parties that process data on our behalf to help operate, analyze, or communicate through the Service.</li></ul><h2>Information We Collect</h2><h3>Personal Data</h3>We may collect personally identifiable information that you voluntarily provide, including but not limited to:<ul><li>First and last name</li><li>Email address</li><li>Phone number (including mobile number for SMS communications)</li><li>Mailing address (city, state, ZIP code)</li><li>Information submitted through forms, petitions, volunteer sign-ups, event RSVPs, or other campaign interactions</li><li>Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes.</li></ul>We may use this information to communicate with you about campaign updates, volunteer opportunities, events, fundraising, and other election-related matters. 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We take reasonable steps to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.<h2>Disclosure of Data</h2>We may disclose Personal Data:<ul><li>To comply with legal obligations or lawful government requests</li><li>To protect the rights, safety, or property of the campaign or others</li><li>To trusted service providers who assist in operating the Service</li></ul>We do not sell personal information.<h2>Service Providers and Analytics</h2>We may use third-party service providers to support campaign operations, including website hosting, analytics, advertising, email delivery, and SMS communications. These providers may process Personal Data solely to perform services on our behalf and are required to protect that information.<h2>Behavioral Advertising and Remarketing</h2>We may use cookies and tracking technologies to display campaign advertisements to individuals who have previously visited the Service. You can opt out of interest-based advertising through:<ul><li>The Digital Advertising Alliance (<a href="http://www.aboutads.info">www.aboutads.info</a>)</li><li>Platform-specific ad settings (e.g., Google, Meta, X)</li></ul><h2>California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)</h2>California residents have the right to:<ul><li>Know what personal information we collect and how it is used</li><li>Request deletion of personal information, subject to legal exceptions</li><li>Request information about disclosures of personal data</li></ul>Requests may be submitted by emailing <a href="mailto:info@mahanforcalifornia.com">info@mahanforcalifornia.com</a>. We will verify your request before responding.<h2>Do Not Track Signals (CalOPPA)</h2>Our Service does not respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals.<h2>Children’s Privacy</h2>The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children. 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<img src="https://run.imgix.net/cab04482-8da4-4e57-be3c-e11273a5e42e/bee5e7a0-4f90-4c99-91d3-6718d19489c6/bee5e7a0-4f90-4c99-91d3-6718d19489c6.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C2239%2C2560&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="42.5" variant="base">As Governor, I would make building California homes in California factories a centerpiece of the state’s industrial strategy. I will fast-track permits and approvals for housing factories.I will provide financial incentives for the construction of new factories. I would create statewide standards for the manufacture, permitting and inspection of industrialized housing, to avoid a patchwork of inconsistent local regulations. And I would strongly incentivize the use of factory-built housing for state-funded projects like student dormitories and supportive housing, to get better value for your taxpayer dollars and grow the market for industrialized housing.

Mayor Matt Mahan knows California can do better. That’s why he’s focused on making life more affordable for working families, on accountability in government, and on building a future that works for all Californians, not just those at the top.

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Matt Mahan reduced San Jose's homeless population by a third. He’s getting people off the streets, into treatment, and into housing. He has broken ground on thousands of new housing units and retrofitted old buildings to get people off the streets and back on their feet.

An End To Street Homelessness

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In this episode, David Friedberg chats with Matt Mahan about his political journey and civic tech efforts in California. Mahan discusses government inefficiencies, his achievements in San Jose, and legislative motivations.

Is THIS California’s Next Governor? Matt Mahan’s Bold Plan for the Golden State – All-In Podcast

California’s race for governor is heating up — and San José Mayor Matt Mahan says he’s running as a “change” candidate.In this episode of Political Breakdown, hosts Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer sit down with Mahan to discuss his approach to homelessness, his support from Silicon Valley’s tech community, and why he’s often challenged fellow Democrats on issues like public safety and housing.

Matt Mahan on the Governor’s Race – KQED Political Breakdown

By: Nicole Nixon, Los Angeles TimesWhen he entered the race for California governor, San José Mayor Matt Mahan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-29/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-is-running-for-california-governor">pitched himself as a pragmatic Democrat</a>&nbsp;who would prioritize improving residents’ quality of life and government efficiency.He unveiled a key part of that promise on Tuesday with an expansive plan to reform state government, including tying pay raises for elected officials and other top leaders to improvements on key issues, and pledging not to approve any tax increase until the state proves “that we can deliver better outcomes with the dollars we already have.”Mahan also delivered a blistering rebuke of ballooning state spending — which, as he often points out on the campaign trail, has increased nearly 75% over the last six years. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic uncertainty, California lawmakers approved a no-frills state budget that came in at $202 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-09/newsoms-budget-plan-banks-on-strong-revenues-despite-fiscal-risks">latest spending proposal</a>&nbsp;is nearly $349 billion.“We have fallen into this lazy, reflexive mindset of always going back to voters and telling them that the only solution to every problem is a tax increase or a new bond or a new rule coming down from Sacramento,” Mahan said in an interview. “We need to step back and take a really hard look at our existing spending and increase the level of transparency and accountability in government.”His eight-page plan includes ways to measure and track accountability, some of which are drawn from policies in other states. They include lobbying reforms,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-lawmakers-ignore-most-state-audit-warnings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">following up on audit recommendations</a>&nbsp;and overhauling the state’s digital infrastructure and its procurement process — services Mahan described as “clunky and cumbersome.”He also proposed a “California Performance Review,” inspired by a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/25/texas-performance-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">similar effort in Texas</a>&nbsp;throughout the 1990s, that would review state agencies and solicit input from employees to eliminate waste and inefficiencies.But near the top of the list is a proposal to tie pay raises for state officials including the governor, lawmakers and thousands of gubernatorial appointees to “measurable outcomes” in areas such as reducing homelessness and unemployment.“People in the real world don’t get raises if they don’t do a good job,” Mahan said, “and I think it should be the same for the politicians and senior administrators who are allocating budgets, leading projects, making the big decisions on behalf of the people of California.”Though the benchmarks would be created with input from the state Legislature, Mahan floated one example: reducing unsheltered homelessness by 5% to 10% within one year, something he said he’s accomplished three years in a row in San José.It’s a solution one might expect from a former entrepreneur and mayor of a city in the heart of Silicon Valley. Mahan made a similar proposal at the local level last year, but it was rejected by the City Council.“Tying pay to performance is nothing short of revolutionary in government. It’s a private-sector model that is overdue,” said former state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), a Mahan supporter who sponsored several bills aiming to increase transparency in government.Dozens of tech company executives are backing Mahan in the race for governor and have collectively donated millions to his campaign, as well as two independent expenditure committees supporting him.That has raised concerns from some voters, and criticism from some of Mahan’s opponents, that he would be beholden to their interests and veto future regulations on tech or artificial intelligence companies.Mahan has sought to dispel those concerns, arguing that he believes AI and social media platforms should be regulated. Of his plan to overhaul state information technology systems and infrastructure, he said that “whenever we spend public dollars, we have to run open, transparent and competitive procurement processes that ensure best value for the taxpayers.”Though Mahan did not specify how he would link government outcomes to pay raises, state lawmakers have&nbsp;<a href="https://sanjosespotlight.com/silicon-valley-lawmakers-criticize-matt-mahan-endorse-opponent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">largely panned his campaign</a>&nbsp;and are unlikely to get on board. The change probably would also require voter approval.Currently, annual raises for elected officials are determined by a citizen commission that was added to the California Constitution in 1990. Changing how that panel works or imposing limits on when it can approve raises would require a constitutional amendment, which requires voter sign-off.But Mahan contended it would be one of the fastest ways to fix a system that he says works for special interests at the expense of working people.“I’m under no illusion that this will be easy, but I think it’s a necessary realignment of incentives,” he said. “We have to make ourselves as accountable to the people as we possibly can be.”

By: Nicole Nixon When he entered the race for California governor, San José Mayor Matt Mahan&nbsp;pitched himself as a pragmatic...

California governor candidate unveils government reform plan, scathing assessment of status quo

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Mayor Matt Mahan sits down The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart to talk about how getting Back to Basics made San Jose the safest big city…

Mahan on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Matt Mahan’s Bold Plan to Break Down the Barriers to Building the New Housing Californians Can Afford

As Mayor, Matt Mahan cut excessive regulation and red tape – as a result, San Jose has built new homes for the first time in years and lowered housing costs. More people can now afford a first home.

Housing You Can Actually Afford

In 2024, Californians made it clear we’d had enough.Enough of unchecked suffering on our streets. Enough of open-air fentanyl markets hollowing out our cities. And enough of the “<a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/05/opinion-theft-tax-is-costing-families-more-than-500-per-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">theft tax</a>” we were paying at the checkout counter to offset the cost of those who were stealing to support a drug habit.

Opinion: It’s past time to fulfill Prop. 36 and end cycles of addiction and crime

Matt Mahan believes every family deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood. That’s why he’s invested in community policing and hired more officers—helping make San Jose the safest big city in America.

Prioritizing Public Safety

Sam Harris <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDXKr8woxB4&amp;t=3s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">speaks</a> with Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and Democratic candidate for governor of California, about governance, pragmatism, and California’s policy failures.They discuss the dysfunction of progressive governance, the homelessness crisis and what San Jose has done to reduce it, the proposed wealth tax and its likely backfire, why California can’t build housing affordably, rent control, mandatory psychiatric holds, the influence of special interests in Sacramento, and other topics. Matt Mahan is the Mayor of San Jose and a candidate for Governor of California. Raised in Watsonville and a Harvard graduate, he began his career in the Peace Corps before teaching on San Jose’s East Side. He went on to lead two civic tech startups, Causes and Brigade, focused on civic engagement and nonprofit support.Elected Mayor in 2022, Mahan has made homelessness and public safety his central priorities. Under his leadership, San Jose reduced unsheltered homelessness by nearly a third through the largest expansion of emergency shelter on the West Coast, and earned recognition as the safest big city in America. He has also worked to accelerate housing development by cutting permitting costs and timelines, and took on utility companies to lower energy costs for residents.In 2024, he was re-elected with 87% of the vote and helped lead the passage of Proposition 36, a statewide ballot measure enabling mandated treatment for repeat offenders in cases involving retail theft, homelessness, and addiction. He announced his run for California governor in January 2026.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDXKr8woxB4&amp;t=3s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to video</a>

Sam Harris speaks with Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and Democratic candidate for governor of California, about governance, pragmatism, and California’s policy failures.

The Politics of Pragmatism and the Future of California – Matt Mahan on Making Sense with Sam Harris

Mayor Matt Mahan knows California can do better. That’s why he’s focused on making life more affordable for working families, on accountability in government, and on building a future that works for all Californians, not just those at the top. Matt knows government can do better when we prioritize policy and results that actually improve lives - like he's done in San Jose.

Chip In to Elect Matt

California is a great place to live, but it is getting tougher all the time.

Mayor Matt's Focus:

Housing You Can Actually Afford

Prioritizing Public Safety

An End To Street Homelessness