Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas is facing only one challenger in his Nov. 3 bid for reelection — local businessman Tom Wong.
Mark Salinas
Salinas, the city’s first Latino mayor, was elected in 2022 and previously served three terms as a member of the Hayward City Council.
He is an instructor of ethnic studies and sociology at Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore.
Among the accomplishments listed on his campaign website are his efforts to balance the city’s budget while preserving city services and help prevent St. Rose Hospital — where he was born — from closing by supporting its transition to Alameda Health System.
“His priorities include strengthening Hayward’s financial position, eliminating the city’s structural budget deficit, and protecting essential public services,” according to a candidate statement Salinas provided by email.
Salinas said he’s working with the City Council to tackle a projected $32 million structural budget deficit by, in part, negotiating concessions with the city’s unions, tightening controls on overtime and other operational costs, and ensuring department heads submit “realistic budgets.”
“He also plans to advance the Business Friendly Hayward Plan, an initiative designed to streamline city processes, attract new businesses, support existing employers, fill vacant commercial spaces, and create more local jobs,” according to his statement.
Salinas says crime has decreased during his tenure and that he’ll continue to focus on public safety, affordable housing, economic development, education and transportation.
He is endorsed by all members of the City Council, all Alameda County supervisors, Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez, the Alameda County Democratic Party and dozens of other Bay Area elected officials.
He had raised about $12,000, spent about $21,000 and had about $40,000 in cash on hand as of Sept. 19, according to his campaign finance disclosure documents. He also raised about $9,000 in additional “late” contributions as of Oct. 1.
Tom Wong
The only other mayoral candidate on the ballot is Tom Wong, a businessman who has “founded and run companies in private security and tactical training,” according to an emailed statement he provided.
Wong says he’s running on a “Hayward First” platform, which includes opposition to new data centers, eliminating property taxes for seniors, streamlining housing development approvals and investing “in more detectives and a homelessness policy built on structure and care, not just spending,” among other things.
“Hayward is one of the most diverse cities in the country, and it’s time City Hall reflected that,” Wong said. “Being the first Asian mayor of Hayward would mean a great deal to me personally, but what matters most is bringing real change on the issues families here care about most.”
Wong, who has run for various offices in the past but never won an election, says he’s been endorsed by
