The government of San Jose, officially the City of San José, operates as a

charter city In the United States, a charter city is a city in which the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than solely by general law. In states where city charters are allowed by law, a city can adopt or modify its orga ...

within

California law The law of California consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law, as well as case law. The California Codes form the general statutory law, and most state agency regulations are available in the Calif ...

under the ''San José City Charter''. The elected government of the city, which operates as a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council gover ...

, is composed of the

Mayor of San Jose The Mayor of San Jose, officially the Mayor of the City of San José, is executive of the Government of the City of San Jose, California in the United States. The mayor presides over the San Jose City Council, which is composed of 11 voting m ...

(currently

Sam Liccardo Samuel Theodore Liccardo (born April 16, 1970) is an American attorney and politician from California and mayor of San José, California, a position he has held since January 1, 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Liccardo was elected mayor ...

), the

San Jose City Council The San Jose City Council, officially San José City Council, is the legislature of the government of the City of San Jose, California. As the Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo casts the 11th vote on matters before the council and acts as chair ...

, and several other elected offices. The greater public administration of San Jose includes numerous entities, including the

San Jose Police Department The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) is the police agency for San Jose, California. The San Jose Police Department is led by Chief of Police Anthony Mata. The department makes its calls for service available to the public; it is the first Am ...

, the

San Jose Fire Department The San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) provides firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services to the city of San Jose, California, United States. The San Jose Fire Department protects the third largest city in California (after Los Angeles and ...

, and the

San Jose Public Library The San José Public Library ( es, Biblioteca Pública de San José) is the public library system of San Jose, California, made up of 23 branch libraries spread across the city. Organization Its central library, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Librar ...

, as well as a mix of state and county level institutions.

Organization

San Jose utilizes a

, composed of the mayor, city council, several elected officers, and numerous other entities.

Mayor

Current mayor

The current Mayor of San Jose is

, beginning his first term as a Councilmember in 2006 and as Mayor in 2015. Liccardo will be terming out on December 21, 2022, and current Councilmember and Mayor-Elect

Matt Mahan Matthew Mahan (born November 18, 1982) is an American politician and tech entrepreneur, now serving his first term on the San Jose City Council as the District 10 Councilmember representing the Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley, and Vista Par ...

will begin his term thereafter.

Former mayors

City Council

The legislative body is composed of the 11-member

, which is made up of 10 councilmembers, each representing and elected by a district, and the Mayor of San Jose elected citywide. The City Council is empowered by the City Charter to formulate citywide policy, adopt laws or ordinances, and approve city budgets. File:Chappie Jones - San Jose City Councilman.jpg, Chappie Jones
District 1, Vice Mayor File:Sergio Jimenez - San Jose City Councilman.jpg, Sergio Jiménez
District 2 File:Raul Peralez - San Jose City Councilman.jpg, Raul Peralez
District 3 File:David Cohen City of San Jose.jpg, David Cohen
District 4 File:Magdalena Carrasco - San Jose City Councilwoman.jpg, Madgalena Carrasco
District 5 File:Devora Davis - San Jose City Councilwoman.jpg, Devora Davis

District 6 District Six is a place in Cape Town, South Africa. District Six may also refer to: :Government divisions * District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 6 (New York City Council), in the United States * VI District, Turku, in Finland * Distri ...

File:Maya Esparza - San José City Councilwoman.png, Maya Esparza
District 7 File:Sylvia Arenas - San Jose City Councilwoman.jpg, Sylvia Arenas
District 8 File:Foley_Pam_-_San_José_City_Councilwoman.jpg, Pam Foley
District 9 File:MattMahan.jpg, Matt Mahan
District 10

Council appointees

The City Council appoints five officials to manage the City organization and support the City Council for effective governance: * City Manager * City Auditor * City Clerk *

City Attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

* Independent Police Auditor

References

External links

Official Site of the City of San Jose
{{California topic, Government of