Margaret Abe-Koga has a significant lead over Sally Lieber for the Santa Clara County Supervisor District 5 race.
As of 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Mountain View Councilmember Abe-Koga has 56.8% of the vote, or 53,829 votes. Lieber, California State Board of Equalization chair, trails with 43.1% of the vote, or 40,893 votes. County voter turnout is at 44.6%% and more than 468,000 votes have been cast.
Both candidates are vying for the open District 5 seat with Supervisor Joe Simitian terming out in December. District 5 encompasses Mountain View, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Palo Alto and a small section of San Jose.
Abe-Koga, a daughter of Japanese immigrants, breast cancer survivor and former two-time Mountain View mayor, is slated to be the first Japanese American woman to serve on the board of supervisors, as voters are set to elect a women majority on the board.
She said she’s encouraged by the early numbers and the support from the community. She said it would be a historic moment to have three Asian American supervisors and added she’s looking forward to widening her political scope from Mountain View to a county district.
“It’s really about bringing people together and making sure that everyone has a voice and can participate,” she told San José Spotlight.
Abe-Koga has been on the Mountain View City Council for about 15 years and has worked for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Assemblymember Evan Low. In her time in office, she furthered a rental assistance program during the COVID-19 pandemic that distributed millions to families citywide. Abe-Koga also helped introduce Mountain View’s first guaranteed basic income program around two years ago, which helped 166 families.
She’s supported by the California Apartment Association, a powerful statewide landlord interest group. That support some sources said caused Congressional District 16 candidate Sam Liccardo, who is running against Low, to quietly drop his endorsement of her.
Mountain View resident Fiona Walter, who is also Abe-Koga’s volunteer campaign treasurer, said she’s optimistic the early results will hold. She said Abe-Koga will provide a needed perspective to the board.
“I’m just so excited for all of us to have her voice at the board of supervisors, and to have her expertise,” she told San José Spotlight. “I’m happy for her, of course, because this is the path that she’s wanted to take and a job that she’s really wanted to have. But I’m really happy for us, (the residents).”
Lieber said the race has been a journey and she’s proud of her campaign. She said anything can happen as votes pour in.
“I’m just happy with the votes that I have. Every vote is so special,” Lieber told San José Spotlight. “I was just thinking this morning, if I had it to do all over again, I would, and I wouldn’t change a thing because it’s been such a meaningful process running for this office.”
Lieber is the California Renters Council’s pick and got her start in politics as a Stanford University undergraduate student studying public policy. She also attended San Francisco City and Foothill colleges. She’s moved around to different positions in her lengthy political career, including two stints on Mountain View City Council and six years in the State Assembly, but has continued to support tenant rights, including backing a referendum against restrictions on people living in RVs in Mountain View. As a legislator, she authored a bill to raise California’s minimum wage from $6.75 to $8 an hour over two years — a difficult endeavor under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Since the beginning of their campaigns, Abe-Koga has raised roughly $564,587, with approximately $85,000 in loans and has spent about $537,432. Lieber has raised a total of about $195,460, with about $135,000 in loans and has spent roughly $137,647.
This story will be updated.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.