CAMPBELL MAYOR SERGIO LOPEZ never wanted to be in the spotlight. He’s the son of Mexican immigrants who migrated to Campbell from Michoacán, speaking little English. After his parents lost their restaurant and had to foreclose on their home during the Great Recession, he felt compelled to enter public service to tackle cost-of-living challenges at their roots.
As Campbell’s first Latino mayor and one of the VTA board of directors’ youngest chairs at 29, Lopez is aiming to make that happen.
“That experience awakened in me (the question), what happened to get us to this point? Because we did everything right,” he told San José Spotlight. “We played by the rules and the system still didn’t work.”
Nearly 19% of Campbell’s population identifies as Latino or Hispanic, according to 2023 U.S. Census data. That’s a large shift from when the city was almost 100% white in 1960. In its roughly 73-year history since it was in incorporated into Santa Clara County, the West Valley city has never had a Latino mayor even with shifting demographics and a growing population.
The Campbell City Council appoints its mayors annually for a year like the West Valley municipalities of Los Gatos and Cupertino. Lopez moved into the role, replacing former Mayor Susan Landry. He represents District 2 out of the city’s five districts, which includes the Pruneyard/Dry Creek neighborhood, Highway 17 and some of Campbell’s industrial area.
A role model for many
Lopez’s appointment is significant to Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez, who lives in District 2 and has been a Campbell resident since 2010. Rodriguez didn’t realize Lopez was the city’s first Latino mayor. He sees Lopez as a role model for his children, especially because the area lacks diverse representation compared to other parts of the county.
“As someone in the community, as a Latino in a time period where we’re living in a very racist and prejudicial, anti-immigrant era, (Lopez) really represents the honest truth of the many contributions that Latinos make to American society that often get erased,” Ornelas Rodriguez told San José Spotlight.
Lopez was first elected in 2020 and ran unopposed last year for reelection. He learned to speak English in the Campbell schools and grew up taking public transit. His family only had one car while his dad worked two jobs.
“He’s lived up to everything that he’s said he’s going to do, and he’s doing it.” Assemblymember Paul Fong, on Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez
Lopez interned for former Assemblymember Paul Fong, who called him a doer.
“He’s lived up to everything that he’s said he’s going to do, and he’s doing it,” Fong told San José Spotlight.
Lopez briefly left Campbell on a full scholarship to Yale University and holds a bachelor’s degree in English and history, as well as a master’s degree from Duke University Divinity School. He always wanted to return to his hometown and be that Latino elected official he didn’t see growing up.
His goals as mayor include addressing climate change, public safety and maintaining the city’s momentum on housing and homelessness as someone who has faced housing insecurity firsthand. He wants to represent as many residents as he can, not just his district.
“(My style) has been to mirror the inclusivity and welcoming that was given to me and my family and to be a bridge builder,” he said.
Another historic first for Campbell politics
Campbell’s past mayors have also made history. Rusty Hammer became Campbell’s youngest councilmember in 1972 at 18 and mayor a few years later. Decades later, former Assemblymember Evan Low became the city’s first Asian American, openly gay mayor and added to the city’s history of young mayors when he was appointed at 26.
Campbell resident Hannah Razban, 26, who has lived in the city for more than three years, met Lopez about two years ago when she spoke about climate change at a council meeting. She said having young representation is important for issues like climate change, even though she was surprised by his age when she first met him.
“The second he opened his mouth to talk, he more than proved why he had his position on the Campbell City Council and now, why he deserves to be mayor,” she told San José Spotlight. “He’s very, very smart, articulate, very thoughtful.”
Lopez said his family is still a guiding factor in his public service. He often thinks about his grandpa, who was mayor of a small Mexican village before he died when Lopez was 2 years old.
“I’m going to try to do as much as I can in the time that I have because tomorrow is not guaranteed. Reelection is not guaranteed,” he said. “I’ve always tried to do everything in a way where if I didn’t get elected, or if I got impeached next week, I wouldn’t have any regrets.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.