Milpitas Mayor, City Council: Montano on track for reelection, Chua and Lam for council seat

Incumbent Carmen Montano and Councilmember Hon Lien are locked in an extremely close mayoral race in Milpitas. Meanwhile, Councilmember Evelyn Chua and newcomer William Lam are on track to take the two open council seats.

Montano leads with 36% of the votes, but Lien trails close by with 33%. The two are in the race alongside Councilmember Anthony Phan and resident Voltaire Montemayor.

Montano made history in 2022 when she became the first woman to be elected mayor in Milpitas. Her reelection goals include ensuring police and fire are fully equipped, beautifying Milpitas, alleviating traffic congestion, attracting high tech businesses and revitalizing the Main Street.

Lien is campaigning to make Milpitas safer for businesses and residents. The first-term member supports consistent city park maintenance and wants to look into state and federal funding for city infrastructure projects and other local amenities.

In the council race, Chua is leading with 29% of the votes and Lam by 19%. Both are up against political newcomers Bill Chuan, Anu Nakka, Dipak Awasthi and Juliette Gomez.

Chua’s priorities include strengthening the city’s fire and police department and collaborating with community members and developers to make more affordable housing. Lam, a long time Milpitas resident, is hoping to promote public safety in the city and wants to prioritize financial transparency and accountability on the council.

The incumbents, if officially reelected, will continue to navigate a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against the city last year by former City Manager Steve McHarris. McHarris is accusing several city officials of intimidation and unethical behavior — including Montano, Chua and former Mayor Rich Tran. The city has denied any wrongdoing, and is pouring thousands of dollars into conducting its own investigation and settling other legal fees.

Milpitas residents aren’t just voting for new councilmembers and a mayor this election. They also have the chance to extend a quarter-cent tax that will provide the city with $7 million annually until 2037, eight years longer than its initial end date. As of today the measure was leading with about 79% of the vote.

The tax, which first appeared and was passed by 60% of voters in 2020, supports funding for 911 emergency response services, police and fire services as well as for repairing streets and maintaining neighborhood parks and public infrastructure until 2029.

The city wants the tax extended accommodate for a growing budget deficit, which is projected to swell from $1.2 million in the 2027-28 fiscal year to $5.9 million in 2028-29.

Supporters, which include representatives from the Milpitas Firefighters Local 1699 and Police Officers Association,say the extension will “maintain rapid response times for 911 calls to police, fire and paramedics, which are critical for stopping crime, protecting victims and saving lives.”

While no formal argument was made against the measure, some locals who oppose the tax want the city to stick to its original deadline and cease taxing residents and businesses.