City of San Jose · Statewide General Election
San Jose City Council, District 9
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Gordon Chester
- Genny Altwer
This person holds your district's seat on San Jose's 10-member City Council: city laws, the budget, and land use.
An open-seat runoff: Genny Altwer, a licensed marriage and family therapist, took 35.5% of the June vote and Gordon Chester, a longtime city Public Works employee, took 22.2% (per San Jose Spotlight's report on the certified count).
The winner holds one of ten district seats on the San Jose City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside a citywide-elected mayor. A four-year term.
The Spotlight frames the pairing as the city's familiar axis: a business-aligned candidate against a labor-backed one. With no incumbent, District 9 voters are choosing which coalition's theory of the city gets a council vote — and June's split leaves plenty of unclaimed voters for both.
Genny Altwer
A licensed marriage and family therapist, described by the Spotlight as the business-aligned candidate in the runoff. Her 35.5% led June's field.
Strengths
June's clear first-place finish and a caring-professions background unusual on this ballot (per the Spotlight).
Trade-offs
No documented government service record in the race's coverage; her council readiness rests on profession and platform rather than a public record.
Keep in mind
"Business-aligned" is the coalition label the press applies (per the Spotlight) — test it against her actual positions rather than voting on the shorthand.
Gordon Chester
A longtime San Jose Public Works employee with labor backing (per the Spotlight). He took 22.2% in June to reach the runoff.
Strengths
Years inside the department that delivers the services councils argue about — streets, infrastructure — plus organized labor's support (per the Spotlight).
Trade-offs
A June share thirteen points behind, and no elected or policy-making record in the race's coverage.
Keep in mind
A public-works insider on the council is an unusual proposition: operational knowledge in exchange for the outsider perspective councils more often add.
Source review: Strong (88/100) · 2 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with a narrow source base.
- vote.santaclaracounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters — Official results certified, June 2, 2026 primary (certified June 30, 2026)
- sanjosespotlight.com (opens in a new tab)San Jose Spotlight — Six council candidates advance to November (July 2, 2026)
Last updated August 22, 2026.