Helen Chapman

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Helen Chapman

Nonpartisan

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority District 3

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2028

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Miramonte High School

Associate

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Personal

Profession

School district resource director

Contact

Personal website

Helen Chapman is a member of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority in California, representing District 3. Chapman's current term ends on December 1, 2028.

Chapman won re-election to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to represent District 3 in California outright after the general election on November 5, 2024, was canceled.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Chapman holds an associate degree in merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

From 1999 to 2014, Chapman worked as a research specialist for the San Jose Unified School District. She also owned her own small business, Country Craft Boutique, from 1997 to 2008.

Chapman has served as president of the Silicon Valley Democratic Club and the Shasta/Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association, vice president of programs for the San Jose Parks Foundation, recording secretary for the Committee for Green Foothills, chair of the San Jose Parks and Recreation Commission, and board member for the environmental nonprofit Our City Forest.

She received the Outstanding Women of Silicon Valley Award in 1996 and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association's Lula Briggs Galloway Working Women's Award in 2010. Chapman and her husband, Dan, have two sons, Brandon and Nick.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Santa Clara County, California (2024)

General election

The general election was canceled. Helen Chapman (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chapman in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Santa Clara County, California (2020)

General election

The general election was canceled. Helen Chapman (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

2018

See also: San Jose Unified School District elections (2018)

General election

General election for San Jose Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2

José Magaña defeated Helen Chapman, Peter Allen, and Roumen Boyadjiev in the general election for San Jose Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		José Magaña (Nonpartisan)	42.9	7,314
		Helen Chapman (Nonpartisan)	39.9	6,803
	Submit photo	Peter Allen (Nonpartisan)	12.7	2,167
	Submit photo	Roumen Boyadjiev (Nonpartisan)	4.4	752

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,036
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

The city of San Jose, California, held elections for five of its nine city council seats on June 7, 2016. While the June election was called a primary, it was functionally a general election.

If no candidate won a majority (50 percent plus one) of the votes cast in a primary, the top two vote-getters in the race advanced to an election on November 8, 2016. The November election was called a general election, but it was functionally a runoff election. Devora Davis defeated Helen Chapman in the general election for San Jose City Council District 6.

San Jose City Council District 6, General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Devora Davis	53.85%	20,360
Helen Chapman	46.15%	17,450
Total Votes		37,810
Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," December 8, 2016

The following candidates ran in the primary election for San Jose City Council District 6.

San Jose City Council District 6, Primary Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Devora Davis	20.54%	4,801
Helen Chapman	20.18%	4,715
Norm Kline	16.47%	3,850
Ruben Navarro	9.90%	2,314
Peter Allen	9.59%	2,241
Erik Fong	8.93%	2,086
Chris Roth	7.94%	1,855
Myron Von Raesfeld	6.45%	1,507
Total Votes (100% reporting)		23,369
Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Unofficial Semifinal Results," accessed June 27, 2016

Endorsements

Chapman received endorsements from the following in 2016:

• AFSCME Council 57
• AFSCME, Local 101
• Association of Retired San Jose Police Officers & Fire Fighters
• Carpenters Local 405
• Communications Workers of America, Local 332
• Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley
• Democratic Activists for Women Now
• Evolve California
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 332
• International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers Local 21
• Laborers Local Union 270
• National Association of Letter Carriers
• Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
• Plumbers, Steamfitters & Refrigeration Fitters, Local 393
• San Jose Fire Fighters, Local 230
• San Jose Police Officers' Association
• San Jose Teachers Association
• Santa Clara County Democratic Club
• Santa Clara County Democratic Party
• Santa Clara County League of Conservation Voters
• Service Employees International Union - United Service Workers West
• Sierra Club
• Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club
• Silicon Valley Democratic Club
• Silicon Valley Latino Democratic Forum
• Silicon Valley Young Democrats
• South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council
• Teamsters Joint Council 7
• U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren
• San Jose City Councilman Donald Rocha
• San Jose City Councilman Raul Peralez
• San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra
• San Jose City Councilman Tam Nguyen
• San Jose City Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco
• California Controller Betty Yee
• California Sen. Bob Wieckowski
• California Sen. James Beall Jr.
• California Sen. Kevin de Leon
• California Assemb. Kansen Chu
• California Assemb. Mark Stone
• California Assemb. Evan Low
• Santa Clara City Councilman Dominic Caserta
• Saratoga City Councilman Rishi Kumar
• Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Gustav Larsson
• Sunnyvale City Councilman Jim Davis

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Helen Chapman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Helen Chapman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Helen Chapman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chapman's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Academic Achievement for ALL Students Close the achievement gap for English Language Learners and students with special needs, and adopt a curriculum that is reflective of the diversity of our community Housing Solutions for Educators and Families Affordable housing solutions so our teachers and staff can live and work in San José, and ensure housing stability for our youth and our families to remain in the neighborhoods they call home Safety and Stability In AND Out of the Classroom Safe spaces to learn and a stable environment to thrive through campus climate measures so every student feels welcomed to learn and is connected to a peer or support group

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm an environmentalist at heart. One of my greatest achievements while on the San Jose Parks Commission was raising the fees collected from developers under the Parkland Dedication Ordinance. By changing the way fees were collected, which was based on 70% of raw land value to 100% of raw land value, we were able to bring in millions of dollars into the City of San Jose for park land acquisition and capital projects. In order to accomplish this we worked hard to bring awareness of this issue to residents and provide tools to help bring their voice to City Hall. Aside from serving on the Parks Commission, I have been involved in the following: Former Secretary, Committee for Green Foothills, 7 years Diridon Good Neighbor Committee member San José Parks Advocates member Save Our Trails member and Nominating Committee member Former Vice President Programs, San José Parks Foundation

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of a SJUSD school board member is to provide oversight and direction for the school district, administration, and employees. It is about being fiscally responsible with taxpayers dollars and accountable to students and parents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

Chapman's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Making San José Safer -- A Working Plan of Action San José has a critical public safety problem. With fewer than 850 street-ready officers, we cannot meet the safety needs of America's 10th largest city. We have the lowest rate per capita than any other top ten city, but in some cases, less than half the officers per capita. This is not only unacceptable, but also dangerous. Everyone knows that our neighborhoods have seen burglaries, car break-ins, mail thefts, home invasions, and violent crimes becoming increasingly common occurrences. Our limited number of traffic enforcement officers inhibits our ability to provide safe transit for pedestrians and bicyclists, and speeding vehicles continue to whip around our neighborhoods unchecked. Here is my 4 Points of Action Plan: Finalizing Pension Reform First, we have a major recruitment issue. Due to years of conflict within the City, and some still trying to maintain the fight, San José is not attracting recruits to work here. Our current leadership is working to settle the pension reform crisis, but the clouds still hang on our community, and with our current problems, potential officers are looking to other cities to get hired. New officers and current ones need assurance that they will receive not just competitive wages and compensation, but that City leaders want to work with them to solve our safety crisis. It's time to get Measure B and pension reform behind us. Adding more Community Service Officers and Park Rangers We have opportunities and funding to start making a difference now. Let's hire more parks rangers and Community Service Officers (CSO). While we can't replace our police, we can help provide assets to other areas of services so that police presence can be directed to major crimes rather than less pressing incidents, like noise disturbances at a park. If a property theft occurs, the first response could be from a CSO, so you and criminals know that a presence is available in our neighborhoods to monitor and respond to these crimes. More park rangers & CSO's will help our police provide more coverage for safety while helping to streamline incidents. There is a budget availability to hire 200 more police officers. This can also help bring returning veterans and retired officers back to help our community. Streamlining Services We can address both ends of our safety / communication services, by delivering better service. Across San José and Santa Clara County are non-profits, community groups and organizations that can assist with providing safety to your neighborhoods. Too often, however, many residents don't know about these services or how to contact them. Rather than our 911 dispatchers having to respond to calls about vagrancy or homeless residents, we need to step up our outreach so we all know who to contact for health or housing services. This way service can be directly provided, helping you feel safer while also helping the person in need to get the proper assistance. Conversely, more training and resources for our 911 dispatchers is needed, so they may redirect calls to the proper agencies so life-threatening emergencies are more successfully addressed. We need to work with the county and regionally to make this happen, but I understand that everyone is interested in seeing our safety improve. Thinking beyond badges and stations Safety for our children isn't just keeping them safe from violence, but safe all day long. Our crossing guards are a part of that. Street lighting, covered bus stops, emergency boxes, more park and recreations areas, sidewalks and crosswalks, and other aspects of our day-to-day life help keep us safe. We need to make a full investment to our neighborhoods and each other. I will help to promote better unity and communication with and between neighborhood associations. When we befriend our neighbors, we have more partners to help us keep our homes and loved ones safe. Seeing safety across our community as far more than just lights and sirens helps us be conscious of the impact of a strong community. It serves to improve our quality of life and safety. This is just a start, but crime prevention takes the participation of all. Accountability matters, and so does justice. We have many departments working very hard to keep us safe, and they are embracing the new tools and resources to protect and serve our community. This is just a start. Let's continue with a productive conversation together. I welcome, as always, your suggestions. Together, we can make San José safer. San José's Housing Crisis - A Plan to Help Everyone One of the most important issues that face our next City Council is how San José will meet its current and future housing needs. San José is currently not affordable for our children, whether by renting or purchasing. Our parents are unable to stay in the community where they raised their families. Like many of you, I struggle with this, as both of my adult sons still live at home because finding an affordable place to rent in San Jose continues to be a challenge. Housing for All Generations & All Families We must support the ability for all generations to live and participate in our neighborhoods. The data is clear, stronger families build and invest in stronger communities. We must expand affordable housing opportunities for renters, for first-time buyers, and for our children, veterans, and seniors. Increasing incentives for affordable housing options will help relieve the housing crisis in a responsible and positive manner. Stronger Wages & Local Jobs to Address Soaring Costs San José is one of the most expensive cities to live in. We should reward our economic successes while not by pushing anyone out. We need to provide housing for all income levels. The high cost of rent is a big concern, especially if we want to encourage quality teachers and service employees to remain in the area. Our residents flee to other less-expensive cities and then congest the highways as they return or pass through for work, negatively impacting our environment. Choosing Smart Locations to Build Focusing on in-fill development, especially around public transportation corridors, is critical. Sprawl is consuming us; we're running out of space. Change will take some time, but we need to start connecting each neighborhood to our entire region. I'll work to enhance urban design guidelines and incentives while encouraging quality mixed-use development that locates residents near transit and commerce. Streamlining & Incentives With you, I learned a lot about our city's General Plan 2040 at meetings and the effort for urban villages. Shifting to greater public transportation and pedestrian use needs a full throated effort and is built piece by piece. We need to make sure we're properly connecting our plans and working with our residents for solutions that cut dependency on cars. Resources for Families to Stay in Their Homes Moreover, we must stop the forced displacement of families. Too many generations of families are being pushed out without recourse. We need pragmatic solutions, such as just-cause eviction protections with resources for renters and owners which will keep people in their homes. We must end the neglect of our residents in dire need. Ensuring Mobile Home Parks Residents’ Voices are Heard We must also stand with mobile home community residents in opposing the 'opt-in' proposal being pushed by the owners. I will protect our seniors, the disabled and all other park residents by finding ways to strengthen the rent-control ordinance. We must protect seniors' vital investment in their homes. Yes on A -- The First Step to Creating Housing Solutions tor Those in Need I hope you will join me in voting Yes on A this November. This affordable-housing measure will help us build more units now. It's a vital part of the Housing First model that will work to help provide homes for those without. Supportive housing with quality service providers and community amenities is key to addressing our homelessness. We have veterans, single parents and victims of domestic violence that need our help; we are in crisis. Succeeding By Working Together I got started in our community because I wanted to help my neighbors. I believe nothing is impossible if we come together as a community. I know we will tackle this housing problem, because if not, our future as Silicon Valley may be in peril. Listening to concerns and working on solutions will make San José a welcoming community to all. This is Day One work. And because of my experience and knowledge, I am the only candidate able to immediately get to work and help forge the consensus necessary to meet San José's needs now and for all. Our Safety: Taking Care Of Our Neighborhoods Years of conflict and poor fiscal management at City Hall have taken a toll on staffing levels across our city. We need to rebuild our relationships and increase staffing in order to move forward and provide the services our community needs. Together we need to restore San José as one of America’s safest cities. With the pension matter hopefully behind us, we need to work on hiring more officers, renew burglary units and tasks forces, and focus on property crimes. We need to provide resources for community policing, and foster meaningful relationships within our neighborhoods. We do best for our safety when we work together. District 6 is underserved for fire services. The Willow Glen Fire Station 37 was approved in 2008, but since was shelved. We need this station built. Just recently, on February 26th a fire erupted downtown across from a station unable to act due to limited equipment. We can't allow these types of failures to happen anywhere in our city. I hope the current council takes action soon – our safety needs attention. Our safety is more than just Police & Fire; it's a robust Code Enforcement Dept. & Park Ranger Program. It's also about creating better opportunities and safer spaces for our youth. We need to empower families so our neighborhoods are safe for everyone to live, work, and play. I'm ready for Day 1. For over 25 years I have been working to improve our safety. As a neighborhood leader I worked to foster strong relationships, from improved street lighting to National Night Out events and community participation we achieved real change. I oversaw park expansions and fought to get the Bascom Library & Community center built. I will fight for you and see that San José residents feel safe in our community. Participatory Budgeting: By and For the Community Last Fall, Mayor Liccardo and Councilmember Peralez launched San José's first pilot program for participatory budgeting. Based on similar successful programs around the country, this process allows District 3 residents to decide how the City will spend $100,000 of public funds in their district. While I support this step towards a more inclusive process, I believe residents deserve a greater voice in decision-making for our City. There are a number of investment choices for each district, but $100,000 only goes so far. Residents deserve to have input on more than just this small portion of budget spending. We need ongoing public meetings throughout the year and active dialogue between the community and City Hall. Each councilmember has access to 'discretionary' budget-funds to be spent however they choose. Too often these funds are used on political debts or favors rather than invested back into our community. I will not invest your tax-dollars in such ways, my discretionary spending will be included in the participatory budget process. Residents should prioritize how their money is used. I applaud our Mayor and Councilmember Peralez for breaking ground on a more inclusive approach to fiscal responsibility for San José. I will strengthen this approach and ensure residents have a voice in the investments made in our neighborhoods. Better Trails for a Healthier City Green, open spaces not only make our neighborhoods more desirable to live in; they are vital for the health of our city's environment and economy. As former Chair of the Parks Commission, I have a wealth of experience advocating for the growth of parks and trails in District 6. I will use this experience as your city councilmember to push for more connections between our trails and greater accessibility to all our public spaces. Throughout our region, we are seeing visionary work being done in this area. The neighboring cities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, and Los Altos have collaborated to plan for a comprehensive expansion of the Stevens Creek trail system for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. By identifying public land on which connections between trails can be made, these cities are moving towards a trails system that does more to connect different parts of our economy and make use of our beautiful natural surroundings. These developments will go a long way towards reducing congestion and pollution, preserving infrastructure, and creating easier access to local businesses. I believe you deserve a bold vision for San Jose's parks and trails and the hard work necessary to make it a reality. From negotiating for funding from State representatives to rallying support from local elected officials, I know how to cut through red tape, bring people together, and get things done. As your Councilmember, I will do just that to make our trails more interconnected and accessible for all. Please save the date for the Save Our Trails Annual Meeting on March 21st, 7pm at the Westminster Presbyterian Church where guest speakers will provide updates on San Jose Trail activity.

”

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