How Matt Mahan Thinks He Can Save California

Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and a Democratic candidate for California governor, entered the race late due to frustration with the state's rising spending and stagnant outcomes. With a background in civic tech—including co-founding Brigade, a platform to organize voters around issues—he shifted to local politics after knocking on 10,000 doors. As the only current executive in the race, he draws on San Jose's results to argue for outcome-driven governance over more revenue or process.

Diagnosing State Dysfunction

California's state spending has risen 75%—$150 billion more—over recent years, yet outcomes in housing costs, energy prices, schools, and safety have flatlined or declined. High-speed rail exemplifies this: $14 billion spent over 20 years with no product, vacuumed into consultants, litigation, environmental reviews under CEQA (open to non-residents), and bureaucracy. Fraud adds insult—$30 billion in pandemic unemployment claims—while waste stems from funding process over results; 75% of state auditor recommendations go unimplemented. Legislators pass hundreds of bills yearly, often adding costs and process without accountability, measuring success by volume signed rather than impact. Mahan sees no money shortage, but misaligned incentives favoring organized interests like public unions, trial lawyers, and trade groups over taxpayers.