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Santa Clara City Council, District 3

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City of Santa Clara

Santa Clara City Council, District 3

This person would hold one of six seats on the Santa Clara City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Santa Clara is a Santa Clara County city of about 128,000 people. The city also has a separately elected, citywide Mayor, also on this ballot. Five other district Council members also serve. The term is four years, with a two-term limit.

Two candidates are running for Santa Clara's open City Council District 3 seat. They are Eric Crutchlow and Kyle Madej. This seat is not open because of term limits. Incumbent Karen Hardy is running for Mayor instead of seeking re-election to this seat. Whoever gets the most votes wins outright. This is a plurality election, not ranked-choice.

This person would hold Santa Clara's District 3 seat on the City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use in this Santa Clara County city of about 128,000, alongside a separately elected, citywide Mayor (also on this ballot -- six candidates, including Hardy, are running for that open seat) and five other district Council members. The term is four years, with a two-term limit.

District 2 is also open this cycle (see that contest); Districts 1, 4, 5, and 6 -- held respectively by Albert Gonzalez, Kevin Park (also a 2026 mayoral candidate), Sudhanshu "Suds" Jain, and Kelly G. Cox -- aren't up again until 2028. Unlike District 2, this seat isn't open because of term limits: Hardy could have run again but chose the mayor's race instead.

Eric Crutchlow

Eric Crutchlow, 66, has lived in Santa Clara since 1984. He works as a product manager in cybersecurity at Lumen Technologies. He has worked in that field for about 25 years. He chairs the city's Planning Commission, where he has served about three years. He previously served on the Charter Review Committee. His campaign centers on city finances. He argues Santa Clara needs to plan and save for infrastructure maintenance. He says the city should not wait for facilities to break down. He points to the International Swim Center. He also wants a more collaborative council culture. He contrasts what he calls council "tension" with the Planning Commission. He says consensus-building marks that commission. No campaign committee has been found under his name. So no financial record exists for his campaign.

Kyle Madej

Kyle Madej, 45, is a Santa Clara native, born and raised in District 3. His family has lived there since 1969. He has worked for both the city and Santa Clara Unified School District. He is now CEO of Sentinel Holdings Ltd. That company runs the security businesses Gladiator Solutions and United Security Specialists. He has spent more than a decade on the Briarwood Little League board. He has been its president since 2023. He also serves on the Santa Clara Youth Soccer League board. He coaches youth, high school, and college baseball and soccer. His priorities include expanding youth programs and recreational space. He also wants to fully fund police, fire, and emergency services. He wants to invest in District 3 neighborhoods and support small businesses. His campaign committee registered between July 17 and Aug. 31, 2026. It has not yet filed an itemized financial report, so no dollar figures are available.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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