Municipal elections in Santa Clara County, California (2025)
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| 2025 Santa Clara County elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: August 8, 2025 |
| General election: November 4, 2025 Runoff election: December 30, 2025 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: County assessor |
| Total seats up: 1 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2025 |
Neysa Fligor defeated Rishi Kumar in a special general runoff election for Santa Clara County Assessor on December 30, 2025. As of January 13, 2026, Fligor received 65.2% of the vote and Kumar received 34.8%.[1]
The two advanced from the special general election on November 4, 2025, after neither received more than 50% of the vote. Fligor received 37.7% and Kumar received 24.0%. Third and fourth place received 21.2% and 16.9%, respectively. Though the position was nonpartisan, Fligor and Kumar were affiliated with the Democratic Party.[2][3]
Incumbent Larry Stone retired on July 6, 2025, after serving in the position for 30 years. The winner of the runoff had the option to run for a full four-year term in 2026.[4][5]
San Jose Inside's Barry Holtzclaw said that voter turnout would be key to deciding the runoff election. Comparing potential differences in voter turnout between the special general election and special runoff, Holtzclaw wrote, "The two finalists have to contend with potential voters distracted by the holidays, nearly empty campaign coffers and the absence of turnout-boosting state redistricting and county sales tax ballot initiatives. Even with the near-record special election turnout of nearly 52%, fewer than 44% weighed in on the hotly contested assessor race. Nearly 86,000 county voters left the assessor choices blank. Turnout in the special runoff election could be half the November total."[6]
The runoff was set against the backdrop of slow property value growth, stalled commercial development projects, and the implementation of a new assessment management system.[5][7][8] Fligor, vice mayor of Los Altos and the county's assistant assessor, said she had the experience to enact what she said were needed reforms.[5] According to San Jose Spotlight, as assistant assessor, Fligor helped oversee 250 workers and a $55 million budget.[5] Fligor said, "I’ll be able to hit the ground running on day one."[5] Kumar, a tech executive, said, "We need somebody who is a reformist, somebody who’s not an insider, and can reorient the assessor’s office to make it work for the people."[5] The San Jose Spotlight wrote that Kumar "positioned himself as a tax hawk with the technical and managerial chops to lead the assessor’s office in a new direction."[5]
Stone, U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo (D), state Asemblymember Marc Berman (D), San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and the Santa Clara County Democratic Party endorsed Fligor. Former Assemblymembers Kansen Chu (D) and Nora Campos (D), Cupertino Mayor Liang Fang, and Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan endorsed Kumar.[2][5][8][9]
Editorials in support of Fligor criticized Kumar's central campaign issue, a ballot initiative to give property owners 60 years and older a 100% property tax exemption. They also claimed Kumar was making a non-political office political by proposing the initiative.[6][10] The Mercury News' editorial team wrote, "Being assessor, unlike a county supervisor or a city councilmember, isn’t about politics and policy setting. It’s about strict adherence to the laws governing appraising real and business properties. Fligor, it should be noted, is the only certified tax appraiser in this race."[10]
Editorials in support of Kumar criticized Fligor's past votes to raise taxes and claimed Fligor was a member of the political establishment. Former Mayor of Palo Alto Lydia Kou wrote, "Santa Clara County should not function like a feudal system. Residents deserve an assessor chosen for competence, not by the preferences of entrenched political players and old guards. We cannot continue to see the same failures of the past three decades — outdated IT systems that crash, payment portals that fail and taxpayers penalized for mistakes not their own. We don’t need a lawyer in charge — we need a leader who understands modernization, who has led large teams and who has a reputation of getting things done. Kumar fits that shoe."[3]
Elections
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Candidates and results
County assessor
General runoff election
Special general runoff election for Santa Clara County Assessor
Neysa Fligor defeated Rishi Kumar in the special general runoff election for Santa Clara County Assessor on December 30, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Neysa Fligor (Nonpartisan) | 65.2 | 142,720 |
 | Rishi Kumar (Nonpartisan) | 34.8 | 76,283 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 219,023 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
Special general election for Santa Clara County Assessor
Neysa Fligor and Rishi Kumar advanced to a runoff. They defeated Yan Zhao and Bryan Do in the special general election for Santa Clara County Assessor on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Neysa Fligor (Nonpartisan) | 37.7 | 175,577 |
| ✔ | | Rishi Kumar (Nonpartisan) | 24.0 | 111,847 |
 | Yan Zhao (Nonpartisan) | 21.2 | 98,896 | |
 | Bryan Do (Nonpartisan) | 16.9 | 78,722 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 524 | ||
| Total votes: 465,566 | |||
| = 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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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2025
March 4, 2025
April 8, 2025
May 6, 2025
June 24, 2025
November 4, 2025
- California Proposition 50, Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment (2025)
- Santa Clara County, California, Measure A, Sales Tax Increase Measure (November 2025)
- Washington Township Health Care District, California, Measure B, Health Care Services Parcel Tax Measure (November 2025)
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About the county
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Santa Clara County, California | ||
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County | California | |
| Population | 1,936,259 | 39,538,223 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 1,291 | 155,857 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 41.6% | 56.1% |
| Black/African American | 2.5% | 5.7% |
| Asian | 37.7% | 14.8% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 9.9% | 14.3% |
| Multiple | 7.5% | 7.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 25.1% | 39.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 88.7% | 83.9% |
| College graduation rate | 53.5% | 34.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $130,890 | $78,672 |
| Persons below poverty level | 7.2% | 12.6% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Santa Clara County, California | California | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ San Jose Inside, "Neysa Fligor’s Victory Margin over Rishi Kumar in SC County Assessor’s Race Nears 66K," January 2, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Santa Clara County Democratic Party, "Vote for Neysa Fligor by December 30, 2025," accessed December 16, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 San Jose Spotlight, "Kou: Rishi Kumar offers a forward-looking vision for residents," December 16, 2025
- ↑ County of Santa Clara, "Larry Stone Stepping Down After 30 Years as Assessor and 47 Years in Elected Office," June 23, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 San Jose Spotlight, "Santa Clara County assessor candidates head to runoff election," November 12, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 San Jose Inside, "Voter Turnout Is Key as SC County Assessor Race Hits Home Stretch," December 3, 2025
- ↑ San Jose Spotlight, "Santa Clara County selects interim assessor ahead of election," August 13, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 San Jose Spotlight, "County assessor candidate earns support of San Jose mayor," December 9, 2025
- ↑ Rishi Kumar 2025 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed December 16, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Mercury News, "Editorial: Fligor is ready to be Santa Clara County assessor. Her opponent is not." December 5, 2025
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