Full Name
Cindy Chavez Chavez
Job Title
Supervisor
Organization
Santa Clara County
Speaker Bio
Supervisor Cindy Chavez represents the over 360,000 people of Central, South and East San Jose on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. She chairs the Board’s Children, Families and Seniors Committee and serves on the Finance and Government Operations Committee. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the $400 million Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and as a Director of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. On the Board of Supervisors, she has lead efforts to:
• Successfully file a lawsuit against the Trump Administration - Trump vs Santa Clara County - when the administration threatened to withhold federal funds affecting hospitals, social services and thousands of children, Seniors and the disabled. The Trump Administration targeted Santa Clara County because it is a so-called sanctuary city for immigrants. A federal judge ruled in Santa Clara County’s favor.
• Create jail diversion programs for mentally ill offenders and the homeless including sobering stations, crisis stabilization beds and mobile crisis teams. She has worked forcefully with the Santa Clara County courts on programs to help improve the lives of mentally ill offenders and the homeless.
• Pass a $950-million dollar housing bond in Santa Clara County during the November 2016 election that will be instrumental in getting housing built for the mentally ill and homeless.
• Reform the county’s bail system offering ways to ensure suspects in minor or non-violent crimes show up for court. Advocates say the bail system now punishes low-income residents. Her reforms reduces the number of people in jail and prompted the California Legislature to take action.
• Streamline and improve Santa Clara County’s Foster Care system to include schools and the dually- involved youth system merging child welfare with juvenile justice.
• Combat the scourge of human trafficking with the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission that she founded and co-chairs with the Sheriff and District Attorney,
Her public service career began in the 1990s as a policy analyst for health care, public health, human services and transportation for the Board of Supervisors. She served two terms on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor, and also served on the board leadership of public agencies such as the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and executive director of Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She is a graduate of San Jose State University, is married and has a son in high school.
• Successfully file a lawsuit against the Trump Administration - Trump vs Santa Clara County - when the administration threatened to withhold federal funds affecting hospitals, social services and thousands of children, Seniors and the disabled. The Trump Administration targeted Santa Clara County because it is a so-called sanctuary city for immigrants. A federal judge ruled in Santa Clara County’s favor.
• Create jail diversion programs for mentally ill offenders and the homeless including sobering stations, crisis stabilization beds and mobile crisis teams. She has worked forcefully with the Santa Clara County courts on programs to help improve the lives of mentally ill offenders and the homeless.
• Pass a $950-million dollar housing bond in Santa Clara County during the November 2016 election that will be instrumental in getting housing built for the mentally ill and homeless.
• Reform the county’s bail system offering ways to ensure suspects in minor or non-violent crimes show up for court. Advocates say the bail system now punishes low-income residents. Her reforms reduces the number of people in jail and prompted the California Legislature to take action.
• Streamline and improve Santa Clara County’s Foster Care system to include schools and the dually- involved youth system merging child welfare with juvenile justice.
• Combat the scourge of human trafficking with the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission that she founded and co-chairs with the Sheriff and District Attorney,
Her public service career began in the 1990s as a policy analyst for health care, public health, human services and transportation for the Board of Supervisors. She served two terms on the San Jose City Council, where she was also Vice Mayor, and also served on the board leadership of public agencies such as the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and executive director of Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She is a graduate of San Jose State University, is married and has a son in high school.