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.
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.