Sam Liccardo brings decades of local government experience to Congress, having served as mayor of San Jose from 2015 to 2023, where he tackled housing affordability, homelessness, and Silicon Valley's tech-driven growth challenges. A former prosecutor and city councilmember, he built a reputation as a pragmatic problem-solver willing to take on entrenched interests, including clashing with police unions over reform measures and pushing for innovative approaches to urban planning. His mayoral tenure was marked by efforts to balance San Jose's role as the largest city in the tech capital of the world with the needs of working families priced out by skyrocketing costs.