San Jose Assemblymembers Alex Lee and Ash Kalra Endorse Steyer, Blast Mahan as Tool of Tech Elites

SAN JOSE — Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Alex Lee, who both represent San Jose in the state legislature, today announced their support for Tom Steyer for governor and delivered a blistering rebuke of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, citing Mahan’s failures on affordability, homelessness, and fiscal management. They warned that Mahan is simply a vehicle for tech-industry power brokers looking to buy influence in Sacramento. 

 A link to the press call can be found here.

“Tom is not someone that's going to be beholden to any industry,” Kalra said. “He's going to focus on what uplifts all Californians. He's going to stand up to industries that are robbing working people blind.”

“Tom gets into the weeds on policy,” Lee said. “He understands that we need to be bold, deliberative and smart to get single payer health care, utility reform — lots of big things that Californians are craving. It is so important that we have a leader like Tom.”

The lawmakers argued that those who know Matt Mahan best are rejecting his record and standing with Steyer. They accused Mahan of misleading San Jose residents about homelessness while pursuing a plan to siphon millions of dollars from voter-approved affordable housing funds.

“No amount of gaslighting or big-tech oligarchy money can change the facts,” Lee said. “San Jose isn’t fixed, and pretending otherwise doesn’t put a single person off the street.”

Kalra warned that the forces lining up behind Mahan should concern voters statewide.

“What scares me the most is, who's getting behind the Mahan campaign,” Kalra said. “Millionaire tech elites don't just want someone in the governor's mansion who is friendly to them. They want someone who's going to be obedient to them, and that should scare everyone.”

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