The San Jose City Council is the elected legislative body for the City of San Jose, California. It has eleven members: ten councilmembers elected from geographic districts and a mayor elected citywide. The council sets local policy, passes ordinances, approves the city’s budget, and appoints the top officials who run city government day to day.1City of San José. Governance Structure
Who Sits on the Council
Ten of the eleven seats are tied to districts. Each district elects one councilmember, and candidates must be registered voters within the district they want to represent. The eleventh seat is the mayor, chosen by voters citywide.1City of San José. Governance Structure
The mayor presides over council meetings and recommends policy, program, and budget priorities. That’s real influence over what the council considers and in what order. But the mayor’s vote counts the same as any other member’s: one of eleven. San Jose does not operate under a strong-mayor system, so the mayor cannot hire or fire the city manager or department heads unilaterally. Those decisions go to the full council.
Council-Manager Government
San Jose runs on a council-manager structure. Elected officials make policy; a professional city manager runs operations. The council decides what the city should do; the city manager, appointed by the council, figures out how to do it and directs staff.1City of San José. Governance Structure
Practically, that means a pothole or a park complaint flows through the city manager’s office and city departments. A new noise rule, a zoning change, or a spending decision is the council’s call.
The Five Council Appointees
The council appoints five officials who report to it rather than to the mayor: the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Auditor, and Independent Police Auditor.2City of San José. Governance Structure – Section: Council Appointees The city manager oversees a workforce of more than 6,600 employees.3City of San José. San Jose Mayor, City Council Unanimously Approve Acting City Manager for 10th Largest City in the Nation The city attorney handles legal work, the clerk manages records and elections, the auditor reviews spending and programs, and the police auditor provides civilian oversight of police complaints.
What the Council Decides
The council’s biggest annual action is adopting the city budget. San Jose’s total budget runs about $6.1 billion,4San José Public Library. San José Youth Commission November 27 2023 Budget Presentation with the operating portion around $3 billion.5City of San José. City of San José Financial Transparency Portal The mayor proposes priorities; the council reviews, amends, and approves the final plan through public hearings.
The council also passes ordinances that become part of the San Jose Municipal Code. These local laws cover land use, business licensing, noise, signage, and much more. The Planning Division regularly brings ordinance updates within the Municipal Code to the council, including changes to the Sign Code, Subdivision Code, and Zoning Code.6City of San José. Ordinances and Proposed Updates Ordinance violations can carry administrative or criminal penalties within city limits.
Zoning and Land Use
Zoning is where the council’s decisions land hardest on individual neighborhoods. The council can rezone parcels between residential, commercial, and other uses, approve specific developments, and change allowable housing density. One vote can affect hundreds of properties at once; the council recently approved rezoning of hundreds of properties across multiple zoning categories in a single ordinance in response to state legislation.7San Jose Legistar. San Jose City Council – File 25-447
The Planning Division manages the General Plan and zoning policies day to day, but the council holds final authority.8City of San José. Planning Division If you care what gets built near you, watch the council agenda, not just the Planning Division’s recommendations.
Terms and Elections
Councilmembers and the mayor serve four-year terms. The City Charter limits both the mayor and councilmembers to two consecutive terms in their respective offices; after sitting out a term, a former member can run again for the same seat.9Santa Clara County. San Jose City Government
Elections are staggered, so roughly half the council is on the ballot every two years. In the June 2, 2026 primary, Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are up.10City of San Jose. City Clerk – 2026 Elections If no candidate wins an outright majority in the primary, the top two go to a runoff in November. Even-numbered districts run on the opposite cycle.
How to Participate in a Council Meeting
Meeting agendas are posted on the City Clerk’s agendas and minutes page ahead of each session. Each item has a number, which you’ll need if you want to speak on something specific.11City of San José. City Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes
To speak in person, fill out a Yellow Speaker’s Card and drop it in the boxes at the bottom of the council chambers before the meeting starts or before your item comes up. You can write “anonymous speaker” if you prefer not to give your name.12City of San José. City of San José – Meeting of City Council
To participate remotely, join by Zoom or phone using the link on the meeting agenda. For written comments before the meeting, use the eComment feature on the Legistar calendar, or email city.clerk@sanjoseca.gov by 8:00 a.m. on the meeting day with the agenda item number in the subject line. Written comments sent before the meeting are attached to the item under “Letters from the Public” but are not read aloud. During the meeting, you can email councilmeeting@sanjoseca.gov; those comments also enter the record without being read aloud.13City of San José. Participate and Watch Public Meetings
If you’re trying to move a vote rather than get on record, written comments submitted early and a direct call or email to your district councilmember’s office tend to matter more than a minute at the podium.
How Votes Are Cast
After public comment on an item closes, a councilmember introduces a motion; another member seconds it; the clerk records the vote. Under California’s Ralph M. Brown Act, all votes must be cast in public. Secret ballots, preliminary or final, are prohibited, and any written ballots are marked and tallied in open session and become public records.14California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. The Brown Act Open Meetings for Local Legislative Bodies You can always find out how your representative voted.
Recalling a Councilmember
California law lets voters recall any elected city official before their term ends. Proponents file a notice of intention with the elections official, including a statement of reasons limited to 200 words. The targeted official may file a response. Once the petition format is approved, proponents gather signatures from registered voters equal to a percentage of the jurisdiction’s registration: 15 percent for jurisdictions with 50,000 or more registered voters, and 10 percent for those with 100,000 or more.15California Secretary of State. Procedures for Recalling State and Local Officials
Given San Jose’s size, a citywide recall of the mayor would fall under the 10 percent threshold; a district-level recall depends on that district’s registration. Proponents have 160 days to collect signatures in jurisdictions with 50,000 or more registered voters.15California Secretary of State. Procedures for Recalling State and Local Officials If the petition qualifies, a recall election is called.
Council Pay
San Jose councilmembers hold full-time salaried positions. According to California State Controller compensation data for 2024, councilmember total wages ran approximately $156,000 to $168,000 per year, depending on the individual. The mayor’s total wages were approximately $226,000. Both positions also receive retirement and health contributions on top of base pay.16California State Controller’s Office. San Jose (2024) – Cities – GCC