Pamela Campos

Pamela Campos is a member of the San Jose City Council in California, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2025. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.

Campos ran for election to the San Jose City Council to represent District 2 in California. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Campos completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Pamela Campos was born in San Jose, California. She earned a high school diploma from Gunderson High School and a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in 2017. Her career experience includes working as an educator. As of 2024, Campos was affiliated with Saved By Nature, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, and Parent Voices.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for San Jose City Council District 2

Pamela Campos defeated Joe Lopez in the general election for San Jose City Council District 2 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Pamela Campos (Nonpartisan)	54.0	16,883
	Joe Lopez (Nonpartisan)	46.0	14,362

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,245
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for San Jose City Council District 2

Joe Lopez and Pamela Campos defeated Babu Prasad and Vanessa Sandoval in the primary for San Jose City Council District 2 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Lopez (Nonpartisan)	35.0	4,950
✔		Pamela Campos (Nonpartisan)	24.3	3,436
	Submit photo	Babu Prasad (Nonpartisan)	21.4	3,026
	Submit photo	Vanessa Sandoval (Nonpartisan)	19.2	2,719

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,131
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Campos's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Campos in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 24, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Pamela Campos completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Campos' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud Chicana, second-generation immigrant whose life has been shaped by the policies, programs, and community of San José. As a former preschool teacher, parent organizer and policy analyst, I am running for City Council inspired by the vision of a better San José for all. I believe in the power of government working for the people, and I am optimistic that if we get enough people excited, involved, and voting, we have the power to effect change in our local, State and Federal systems. My experience in policy has always been centered on advocating for children, parents, and Early Care and Education providers; I am a dedicated champion for families and working people because these issues are what ignited my passion for getting activated in local government. My ability to speak authentically about my lived experiences, as well as members of my community who allow me to advocate on their behalf, enables me to connect with people and shift the narrative about good policy that supports working-class folks. As a millennial, I am also the youngest person in this race and working to bring more youth representation and involvement in government. I am determined to make our city a more affordable, safe, and welcoming place to live, work, raise a family and retire in. If elected to the City Council I will continue working on policies that develop more affordable housing, ensure family-sustaining wages, support public schools, and build environments where all people can thrive.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Homelessness/Housing: Growing up in San Jose, I never thought I'd be struggling so much to continue living in my community. To address our housing crisis, we must protect, preserve, and produce more affordable housing. I will work on those principles and strengthen tenant’s rights, support anti-displacement strategies, champion progressive revenue sources for public development, and prioritize local hire and labor friendly practices for all our city's development projects.
Safe Neighborhoods: Our need to feel secure is at the heart of public safety. Meeting this goal will require forward-thinking police practices and investment in services to ensure our neighborhoods are healthy environments where residents can live and play safely. I will address public safety through preventative measures that include recreation opportunities, job training and retention, and access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. I will advocate for a city budget that funds safe youth spaces, community engagement, holistic partnerships with public safety officers, and ensures that all levels of law enforcement and first responders are fully staffed.
Mobility & Transit: Accessible public transit is fundamental for reducing greenhouse emissions, promoting walkable neighborhoods, and uplifting socio-economic growth. The City of San José has also had a concerning amount of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in recent years. I will push the council to take real steps towards achieving Vision Zero by expanding bus and light rail services, and involving local residents to collaborate in street planning that re-imagines their local roads, ensuring the safety of our pedestrians and transit riders, while preparing for future climate funding.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am a dedicated champion for families and working people because these issues are what ignited my passion for getting activated in local government. As a former preschool teacher and parent organizer, I believe The City of San José should act as a partner for parents and caregivers by reallocating developer impact fees to preserve and fund new child care facilities, as well as set aside funds for a child care coordinator who supports our residents through the process of finding and financing local child care. I’d also propose a local ordinance for large employers that expands paid family leave to 24 weeks. I would promote the development of early care and education (ECE) facilities in new housing and transit-oriented developments.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Communication is one of the most important, if not the most important value for an elected official. As an elected official, you need to be in constant communication with all constituencies in your community – residents, business owners, property owners, non-profit organizations, unions, and others – in order to be an effective leader. I’m a bridge builder, and I know to effect change in policy we must build cross-sector relationships. To reach our policy goals, I will continue collaborating with communities to build trust. Addressing the historical inequities in our current government systems will require developing relationships with the various constituencies that support our community. Community involvement is critical, and ensuring all partners have a seat at the decision-making table is essential to meeting the needs of communities affected by local policy-making. Holding monthly partner meetings and investing in community events to develop trust will be a priority for the D2 office under my leadership. I will work with partners to host more community building and small business boosting events in D2 that provide our South San José residents with opportunities to engage with neighborhood associations, nonprofits and civic organizations, and learn more about our local community resources.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

.My very first job was High Five Pizza Co, and I worked there for 3 years. Like many first jobs, it showed me the value of hard work and community, and I enjoyed talking to regular customers, learning about them and their lives, and being just a small piece of it. I still regularly eat there and when friends visit, it’s a must-stop gem!

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

San José has shaped me; from the streets and roads to our schools and parks, it’s all I’ve ever known. 30 years ago, my newly immigrated parents struggled to make ends meet while raising me and my sisters, and today our families are facing the same problems: unaffordable housing, inaccessible child care, and wages that can’t keep up with the rising cost of living. City Council members are elected to work together to set goals and priorities for the City, and I believe change starts at the local level. A city council member has many roles, including approving the City budget, adopting local ordinances, monitoring city agencies like the police force and public works departments to ensure they're effectively serving their communities, reviewing land usage within a city, and deciding how best to grow and develop city properties. Most importantly, they serve as the direct liaison between community members and city government, meeting with constituents and local business owners to discuss issues. I am running for City Council inspired by the vision of a better San José for all. As a lifelong San José resident, I am determined to make our city a more affordable, safe, and welcoming place to live, work, raise a family, and retire in. If elected to the City Council, I will continue working on policies that develop more affordable housing, ensure family-sustaining wages, support public schools, and increase community resilience to build environments where all people can thrive.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

ELECTED OFFICIALS

Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman
Dave Cortese, CA State Senator
Ash Kalra, CA Assemblymember
Susan Ellenberg, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Cindy Chavez, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Sylvia Arenas, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Otto Lee, Supervisor, Santa Clara County
Sergio Jimenez, Councilmember, City of San José
Rosemary Kamei, Vice Mayor, City of San José
Omar Torres, Councilmember, City of San José
David Cohen, Councilmember, City of San José
Peter Ortiz, Councilmember, City of San José
Dev Davis, Councilmember, City of San José
Domingo Candelas, City of San José
Santa Clara County Democratic Party
San José Firefighters Local 230
South Bay Labor Council

PPAMM

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.

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Candidate

San Jose City Council District 2

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by Sergio Jimenez	San Jose City Council District 2 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1]

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Pamela Campos

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for San Jose City Council District 2

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for San Jose City Council District 2

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Information for candidates

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