Jamal Khan is running for San Jose City Council
Mahbub Khan
Hi, I'm Jamal Khan. I grew up in District 4 and completed my K-12 education in public schools here. I have a strong dedication to public service, and am excited by the possibility of serving the community that raised me. Although I've been told that I initially come off as a mild-mannered millennial, I have a lot to say about how to make our community even more vibrant. I invite you to find out more about my campaign!
Learn about my background here.
Learn about my position on various issues here.
Learn about volunteer opportunities here.
About Jamal
Jamal Khan completed his K-12 education in public schools right here in District 4 of San Jose, California: Laneview Elementary School, Morrill Middle School, and Independence High School. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he triple majored in Economics, Political Science, and Rhetoric, and minored in Global Poverty and Practice. During his time as an undergraduate, Jamal interned for Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district office, the nonprofit transparency organization MapLight, and a bankruptcy attorney. He also completed a social entrepreneurship scheme in South Asia in a partnership between Tata International and UC Berkeley. Jamal had honors standing eight out of eight semesters, and was awarded the Travis Scholarship in Politics and Ethics. He graduated with High Honors in Economics and High Distinction in General Scholarship.
Jamal attended Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served as the Managing Technical Editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. He was also the Communications Chair of the South Asian Law Students Association and the President of the Muslim Law Students Association. During the summer breaks, he interned in Washington, DC for the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the Office of Government Ethics.
After graduating from law school, Jamal was accepted into the Presidential Management Fellowship program. He worked for the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality, and the Food and Nutrition Service. Jamal worked on several policy priorities of the Obama Administration at the state level, including minimum wage, paid sick and family leave, voting rights, gun violence prevention, occupational licensing, and the opioid crisis.
After concluding the fellowship, Jamal worked for the Kamala Harris for Senate campaign in its Los Angeles headquarters, and then accepted a position as the deputy digital director for the Catherine Cortez Masto for Senate campaign in its headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jamal moved back to the Bay Area and worked for SCN Strategies (now known as SCRB Strategies), a political consultancy. Last electoral cycle, Jamal served as the finance and data director for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's reelection campaign.
Jamal is the founder and executive director of the American Opioid Project, a crowdsourced encyclopedia of the opioid crisis that will help the public understand how the crisis was experienced in all 50 states from a variety of perspectives. He is the writer and narrator of the American Opioid Podcast, a research-backed fictional narrative that follows a single mom who becomes addicted to opioids after an automobile accident. A second podcast, Opioid Voices, will feature interviews with real-life individuals who are studying and/or working to alleviate the opioid crisis and save lives.
Jamal has worked in a variety of areas, but one unbroken thread runs through it all: public service. He is excited by the opportunity to represent District 4 in the San Jose City Council, and hopes you will join him.
If you have any questions, shoot me an email at jamal...@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
The Issues
Taxes.
Many debates around government center around whether it should be bigger or smaller. I think government should be smarter. Government should be lean and efficient. Government should accomplish more with less. Instead of raising taxes, the city government should do everything it can to make better use of each hard-earned taxpayer dollar. I promise that I will scrutinize any proposed tax increase with a magnifying glass and consider alternative options. I will also push for greater transparency so residents can easily find out how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. We should also know who benefits from contracts, and enlist the help of an organization like MapLight to trace connections between campaign contributions and the awarding of contracts to specific parties.
Homelessness.
This is perhaps the most visible change in our community, and the most troubling. Some of the homeless population suffer from mental illnesses and/or substance abuse disorders, and I will work with county officials to determine what can be done. Others ended up living in their cars, on the streets, or in creeks because their rent payments exceeded their ability to pay. Yet others who worked two or three jobs lost one of them, and they could no longer afford rent. The city alone cannot tackle this issue, which pervades the entire Bay Area. The homeless population is not monolithic, and the solution cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. I will rely on a comprehensive review of the problem that examines its roots, its consequences, and feasible solutions. We must work with a broad coalition of stakeholders that encompasses community organizations, municipal officials, county officials, state legislators, and public-private partnerships. Only then can we develop an approach that incorporates both compassion and fiscal prudence.
Affordable housing.
Many parents are faced with the reality that if their grown children move out of the house, they must move out of the Bay Area entirely. Seniors on fixed incomes are feeling pinched. Soaring property values have transformed our district from the way it was just a generation ago. There is no magic bullet, but there are steps that can make staying here easier for working families. For example, the "tiny home" concept, if implemented properly, could make a difference with little taxpayer involvement. The construction in North San Jose will increase the supply of housing, but we should also be mindful of the impact on public services like schools, libraries, and parks, not to mention the worsening of an already dismal traffic situation. I will work closely with government agencies and community groups to chart a way forward.
Traffic.
In District 4, we have easy access to major freeways, including 680, 880, and 101. The airport is within driving distance. So is the Great Mall. We are fortunate to have these places close by for our use and enjoyment. BART will open soon, making it easier for many residents to commute to work. Scooters, bicycle lanes, and ride-sharing services will help close the "last mile" gap between our homes and the BART and the VTA Light Rail. Yet, many challenges lie ahead. New construction is expected to make traffic worse. The new bicycle lanes have reduced some streets to one lane from two, contributing to congestion during rush hour. I believe we are moving in the right direction, but I also believe that we must take care to mitigate the unintended consequences of well-meaning policies. On the City Council, I will listen to as many stakeholders as I can before deciding how to vote.
Public safety.
We have many families living here in our district, and safety is always a chief concern. I've heard from residents that when they call the 311 line, there can be a significant delay before they receive a response. A rise in home values has led to adverse incentives for property crime like car theft, package theft, and break-ins. Drug dealing and gang-related incidents have become more noticeable, along with reports of domestic violence and sexual assault. There was a reduction in the police force in the aftermath of pension reform, and I will work to see how the ranks can be replenished to a level that ensures adequate public safety. I will also work with the police department to expand community policing initiatives, facilitate neighborhood watch groups, and enhance community-police relations through popular platforms like Nextdoor.
Streets and Neighborhoods.
I have heard from residents that street lights can be out for a significant period of time before they are repaired. The interim period can make it difficult to navigate and feel safe. Some residents have also questioned why some recently paved streets and sidewalk curbs have been immediately paved again, while other streets have languished, riddled with potholes. I will work with the city planning department to ensure that projects are being properly prioritized, and that Measure T funds for street repairs are being used responsibly and with oversight.
Education.
My K-12 education was in public schools right here in District 4: Laneview Elementary School, Morrill Middle School, and Independence High School. Afterward, I had the opportunity to attend the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. I know that our school system can do amazing things because I am a proud product of it. As a member of the City Council, I will reach out to school districts to find out what the city can do to enhance educational resources and find areas of joint action. I will also find ways to build on San Jose Promise to continue to make college accessible and affordable for students from many different backgrounds.
Volunteer
We are looking for volunteers to help with the following:
Phone calls
Canvassing
Hosting house parties
Helping with miscellaneous tasks
If you'd like to volunteer, send an email to jamal...@gmail.com and we'll get back to you!
Jamal Khan's Campaign Website: www.jamalkhan.org