Carl Salas appointed interim San Jose District 3 councilmember after multi‑round vote

Carl Salas was appointed interim councilmember for San Jose’s District 3 on Jan. 28, after the City Council completed a multi‑candidate interview process and several rounds of voting.

The council moved to adopt a simple‑majority threshold before the final selection, after multiple ballots failed to produce a two‑thirds result. On the final ballot Salas received six votes to his opponent Jamal Williams’s four, and Council Member Carl Salas was sworn in minutes later.

The selection followed a public interview process the council held during the Jan. 28 meeting in which five applicants gave opening statements and answered questions from council members. Applicants who took part in the interview process included Carl Salas, Jamal Williams, Danielle Christian and two other finalists. Each candidate outlined their experience in community organizations, business or higher education and described how they would prioritize constituent services and the council’s impending budget decisions.

Mayor Matt Mahan, who presided over the interviews, noted the difficulty of the choice and the overall strength of the applicant pool. “We would be lucky to have either serving our city,” he said during deliberations.

The council’s decision came after considerable public engagement during the hearing. Dozens of residents and community leaders addressed the council during the public‑comment period that followed candidate interviews; many spoke in support of Jamal Williams and urged the council to consider his community organizing and university partnerships. Council members referenced that community response in their deliberations but ultimately voted for Salas after lowering the appointment threshold to a simple majority in order to seat an interim representative for the district.

What happens next Salas took the oath of office at the meeting and is to serve in the interim seat until the next elected councilmember assumes office. The interim councilmember will handle constituent casework, represent District 3 on council business and participate in upcoming budget deliberations. Council members said they expected the new interim member to prioritize responsiveness to neighborhood concerns while participating in citywide budget and policy discussions.

Council procedure and votes The council’s appointment process included written applications, timed opening statements from each applicant, a single round of council questions, public comment, a short follow‑up round of questions, and successive secret ballots to narrow the field. After multiple ballots the council voted 7–3 to permit selection by simple majority, then used a final ballot on which Salas received six votes and Williams four. The council then administered the oath of office.

Community response and context Members of the public who spoke during the process emphasized rebuilding trust with the district office, improvement of constituent services and responsiveness to neighborhood concerns. Council members repeatedly noted constituent services would be a major focus for whoever takes the interim seat, given District 3 residents have lacked a seated councilmember during recent weeks.