Mike Hennessy
Mike Hennessy is running for election to the San Jose City Council to represent District 9 in California. Hennessy is on the ballot in the primary on June 2, 2026.[source]
Elections
2026
See also: City elections in San Jose, California (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for San Jose City Council District 9
Genny Altwer (Nonpartisan), Rick Ator (Nonpartisan), Gordon Chester (Nonpartisan), Mike Hennessy (Nonpartisan), and Scott Hughes (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for San Jose City Council District 9 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Genny Altwer (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Rick Ator (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Gordon Chester (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Mike Hennessy (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Scott Hughes (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign website
Hennessy's campaign website stated the following:
Mike Hennessy's Plan
Refocus City Hall on the Basics
Hold Criminals Accountable
Improve Homeless Response
Build More Housing
Restore Fiscal Responsibility
Create More Jobs
Protect Our Environment
I was born and raised in San José and built local businesses from the ground up, creating jobs and meeting payroll for more than 40 years. I know what it means to work hard, balance a budget, and make tough decisions.
Today, working families, seniors, and veterans are being squeezed by rising housing costs, groceries, utilities, and taxes while City Hall keeps asking for more and delivering less.
I will not support another local tax increase until the City demonstrates full accountability, real results, and better use of the tax dollars you already pay.
We must fully staff police and fire, reduce response times, and restore safe neighborhoods. We need faster, cost-effective solutions to homelessness, including dignified shelter with services. And we must build more housing near jobs and transit to lower costs without damaging established neighborhoods.
Seniors and veterans built this community. Working families keep it running. We deserve stability, safety, and respect — not higher costs and broken promises.
I will bring practical leadership, fiscal discipline, and common sense to City Hall.
Join Senator Dave Cortese, Councilmember Bien Doan, Firefighters, and community leaders in voting for Mike Hennessy.
- Mike Hennessy
PUBLIC SAFETY
A Safer San José Starts With a Fully Staffed, Modernized, and Fully Supported Emergency Response System
Every resident deserves fast police response times, reliable fire and medical services, and neighborhoods that feel safe and well cared for. Mike is committed to supporting the heroes who keep our city safe—while using smart, modern tools to prevent crime and protect our community.
Mike’s Plan for Public Safety
- Fully staff SJPD and improve response times through better recruitment and retention.
- Expand the SJPD Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit to address RV-related issues, abandoned vehicles, and chronic problem locations.
- Improve Emergency Medical Services by fully funding and deploying the Fire Department’s MED30 program.
- Support TRUST and crisis response teams as supplemental tools, not substitutes for police response.
- Work with the State to fully fund and implement Prop 36 to reduce auto theft, retail break-ins, and hold accountable repeat offenders.
- Modernize Fire Department promotion and training systems to ensure qualifications drive advancement.
- Upgrade SJFD engines, trucks, and equipment so firefighters have the tools they need.
- Use technology and AI to reduce officer time spent on report writing and increase time spent responding to calls.
- Recognize neighborhood cleanliness, infrastructure repairs, and street lighting as essential public safety investments.
- Provide SJPD with modern tools such as a fixed-wing aircraft and a mounted patrol for creek and encampment enforcement.
Our safety is the foundation of a strong community—and Mike will ensure San José delivers.
HOMELESSNESS
A Better Approach: Cost-Effective Compassion with Accountability and Real Results
San José has spent decades and billions of dollars on homelessness without producing the results residents deserve. Current new units for homeless cost an unsustainable $1 million or more. A recent State audit even reported that more than $300 million in homelessness-related spending in San José was unaccounted for. Mike believes in a balanced strategy that is both compassionate and effective with clear standards, cost-efficient solutions, real accountability for everyone involved, and full transparency for every dollar.
Mike’s Plan to Reduce Homelessness
- Build cost-effective pre-engineered shelter that is ready in weeks for around $18,000 per person to help our vulnerable now.
- Create a clear pathway to stability: shelter → treatment → job training → long-term solutions.
- Enforce rules that prevent encampments from blocking parks, creeks, schools, sidewalks, and neighborhoods.
- Hold Santa Clara County accountable for mental health and addiction treatment services, which the County is already responsible for providing.
- Address financial waste and mismanagement by requiring transparent budgeting, auditing, and measurable outcomes for every homelessness program and service provider.
- Require measurable, trackable outcomes from outreach organizations and case management teams.
- Protect open space and natural areas while placing housing where it fits and respects the community.
- Publish regular reports so residents can see where money is going and what results are being achieved.
Mike will ensure San José leads with compassion and delivers real results for our entire community.
BUILD MORE HOUSING & MAKE IT AFFORDABLE
More Homes, Lower Costs, and Common-Sense Planning
San José can and must build more housing, but the city’s permitting and approval system is slow, unpredictable, and expensive. Mike will streamline the process, respect neighborhood character, and make housing more affordable by fixing what’s broken inside City Hall.
Mike’s Plan for Housing
- Overhaul Planning and Building permitting with clear timelines, accountability, and modern technology.
- Focus new housing along corridors, near transit, vertically, and in mixed-commercial areas where services and infrastructure already exist.
- Protect established single-family neighborhoods from incompatible development.
- Support “missing middle” housing in appropriate areas to increase options for families and seniors.
- Modernize development and building fees to support housing production while ensuring high-quality community amenities, like parks.
- Ensure building codes protect safety without imposing unnecessary or burdensome requirements.
- Stop City Hall from forcing costly building upgrade mandates that drive up housing costs for both homeowners and renters just to satisfy pet political projects.
- Balance growth with environmental protection and smart land-use planning.
- Improve predictability and customer service for homeowners, builders, and residents.
Housing should be attainable and San José should make it easier, not harder, to build homes that fit our community.
NO MORE TAX INCREASES
San José must fix waste and mismanagement first — and live within its means like the rest of us
Mike’s Commitment
- No new taxes until City Hall proves it can manage the money it already has.
- Run independent audits and cut waste, following the SJ Police Officers’ Association’s call for full financial accountability.
- Eliminate stalled, decades-old projects and return unused funds to the General Fund for public safety and neighborhood services.
- Scrutinize every dollar with performance standards, ensuring your tax money delivers real results — not bureaucracy.
IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES
Clean, Safe, and Well-Maintained Neighborhoods
Residents deserve fast responses, clean streets, safe parks, and a city that takes pride in basic services. Mike will make neighborhood services a top priority and treat cleanliness, maintenance, and infrastructure as fundamental quality-of-life issues.
Mike’s Plan for Better Neighborhood Services
- Improve SJ311 with clear response standards, accountability, and follow-through.
- Ensure that when residents report issues, the city resolves them or clearly explains why it can’t and assists with the appropriate agency and make an introduction.
- Establish weekly cleanup zones throughout District 9 so every neighborhood receives consistent attention.
- Deploy rapid-response teams to address graffiti, illegal dumping, and blight.
- Improve park cleanliness, lighting, safety, and maintenance.
- Maintain creeks, trails, and public spaces year-round, not just during complaint spikes.
- Modernize stormwater systems, drainage, and infrastructure to prevent flooding and long-term deterioration.
Mike will make sure San José delivers the clean, safe, and reliable neighborhood services families expect.
FIX CITY HALL
Finally, A City That Works
Residents are frustrated with a City Hall that is slow, outdated, unresponsive, and out of touch. Mike will focus relentlessly on operational excellence, accountability, and making sure the city works for the people who pay for it.
Mike’s Plan for City Hall Reform
- Restore trust by demanding results, not excuses.
- Hold the City Manager accountable for delivering reliable, high-quality city operations.
- Recognize that residents don’t care which level of government owns a problem, they just want the problem fixed.
- Implement business-like performance metrics and reporting for every department, with clear goals and consequences.
- Modernize outdated systems in purchasing, permitting, inspections, and customer service.
- Require quick and predictable timelines for permits, inspections, and service delivery.
- Shift City Hall’s culture from obstruction to problem solving so residents and small businesses can succeed.
- Improve upon published performance data so residents can better track progress and hold leaders accountable.
- Improve coordination across departments to end duplication, delays, and bureaucratic obstacles.
San José needs a City Hall that serves the community, not the other way around. Mike will make that happen.
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS & GROW OUR ECONOMY
Help D9 residents prosper
Small businesses are the heart of our local economy—but too many face barriers, delays, and unexpected costs. As a longtime small business owner, Mike knows firsthand what it takes to start, grow, and sustain a local business in San José.
Mike’s Plan for a Strong Local Economy
- Cut red tape and reduce permitting delays that prevent businesses from opening or expanding.
- Increase local jobs by investing in business improvement districts.
- Revitalize commercial corridors by improving safety, cleanliness, lighting, and walkability.
- Upgrade parking, signage, and street conditions to make business districts more welcoming.
- Support local entrepreneurs with clearer rules and simpler processes.
- Prioritize practical improvements that help small businesses today.
- Connect job seekers to training and career pathways that align with local employers.
- Ensure city policies encourage growth and do not push businesses out of our community.
Mike will fight for a business environment that supports innovation, opportunity, and long-term success.
PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT & QUALITY OF LIFE
A Cleaner, Greener San José Without Burdensome Mandates
Environmental stewardship should improve quality of life and not make it harder for families, seniors, or small businesses to afford living in San José. Mike supports practical, effective environmental solutions that make our city cleaner, healthier, and more resilient.
Mike’s Plan for the Environment
- Protect open space, watersheds, and natural habitats for future generations.
- Expand our urban tree canopy to increase shade, reduce temperatures, and improve air quality.
- Modernize stormwater systems and strengthen flood resilience.
- Maintain creeks, trails, and parks to protect public health and encourage recreation.
- Promote energy efficiency and sustainability without imposing costly mandates on homeowners and renters.
- Reduce pollution and support long-term water conservation.
- Improve walkability, bike safety, and access to safe outdoor recreation.
Environmental progress should be practical, affordable, and focused on improving everyday life—and Mike will make sure it is.
ACCESSIBLE, INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP
Real Leadership. Real Accessibility. Real Results.
Residents deserve a Councilmember who listens, communicates openly, and follows through. Mike is committed to being accessible, transparent, and accountable, ensuring that community voices shape the decisions that affect our neighborhoods.
Mike’s Commitment to the Community
- Hold regular office hours and community meetings across District 9.
- Provide clear, timely updates on major decisions, projects, and neighborhood issues.
- Increase transparency around budgeting, planning, and city policies.
- Respond to resident inquiries within 48-hour timeframes.
- Engage with our community early, not after decisions are made.
- Maintain strong partnerships with Neighborhood Associations, HOAs, neighborhood leaders, schools, businesses, and other civic organizations.
- Follow through on commitments and build trust through consistent, responsive leadership.
Mike will always show up, listen, and put our community first.
— Mike Hennessy's campaign website (April 4, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
