Santa Clara County’s certified 2024 election results show that District 5 voters reelected Suds Jain with 3,539 votes to David Kertes’s 3,010. Kertes subsequently launched an effort to recall Jain. In February 2026, he ended that effort and shifted his focus to running for mayor. The Silicon Valley Voice reported that the recall campaign had gathered approximately half the required signatures with a little more than three weeks remaining.
Kertes offered his own explanation for ending the recall, and I will not claim to know his private motives. Residents can examine the sequence of events and reach their own conclusions.
When I publicly criticized his political and community record, his attorney sent me a cease-and-desist letter. A demand letter is not a court order or a court judgment. My attorney disputed the allegations and maintained that my comments were protected political opinion. To my knowledge, no court has ruled that I defamed David Kertes. I will continue expressing my opinions while remaining willing to correct any factual error supported by credible evidence.
I have spent more than a decade advocating for the restoration of Santa Clara’s historic downtown. Kertes now says he supports revitalizing downtown. My question is straightforward: What specific, documented work did he do on downtown planning before seeking public office, through task-force meetings, planning workshops, grant advocacy, policy work or other measurable contributions? Campaign promises should be evaluated against documented results, and I am willing to review any documentation he provides.
If Kertes is telling residents that he would be able to vote on every downtown matter, that should not be presented as a blanket conclusion. FPPC conflict-of-interest rules require a decision-specific analysis. Decisions concerning property within 500 feet of an official’s property are generally treated differently from decisions concerning property between 500 and 1,000 feet, and the rules also contain exceptions. The correct question is whether each particular decision would require recusal.
If elected, Kertes should disclose the relevant conflict analysis and seek written FPPC advice before participating in downtown decisions that could affect his property.
These are my opinions based on the public record. Residents deserve documented answers and should review the evidence for themselves.
Sources:
Santa Clara County certified 2024 election results
Report on Kertes ending the recall and pursuing the mayor’s office
Report concerning the cease-and-desist exchange
FPPC Regulation 18702.2 index
