Council appoints two members to Fair Campaign & Political Practices board after interviews
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Summary
Following interviews of three applicants, the council appointed Eddie and Sangeetha Vijayindaran to two vacancies on the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices. Council members questioned candidates on impartiality, attendance and the Levine Act; voting results were announced during public session.
The San Jose City Council on Nov. 4 appointed two community members to the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices after interviewing three applicants in public session.
The applicants — Eddie, Sangeetha Vijayindaran, and John (who also identified himself as Jay) — each gave two‑minute opening statements and answered council questions about how they would handle conflicts between personal beliefs and campaign laws, maintain impartiality in complaints involving political figures, and meet attendance requirements during an active election season.
Sangeetha Vijayindaran described her background in product program management and data governance, saying her work "is responsible for data governance across all the AI solutions" and stressing her experience working with legal, privacy and compliance teams. Eddie, an engineering lead, emphasized process, pre‑existing rules and avoiding personal bias when interpreting Title 12 of the San Jose Municipal Code. John (Jay) described a long record of community volunteerism and an interest in strengthening democratic processes.
Council members asked each applicant about the Levine Act (a recent state law referenced in the interviews that relates to disclosure and reporting), impartiality when investigating political actors, and their commitment to attend meetings. Applicants affirmed a commitment to follow existing law and to avoid allowing personal views to cloud decisions.
Balloting by council produced the following results: Eddie received 10 votes, Sangeetha received 9 votes, and John received 1 vote. Council appointed Eddie and Sangeetha to fill two vacancies. The mayor and staff announced the results in open session and asked the appointees to meet with staff to complete onboarding steps.
Provenance: interviews began at 01:02:15 (transcript block starting 3735.97) and the appointment results were announced at 01:37:11 (transcript block starting 5831.125).