SAN JOSE, Calif. (DIYA TV) — The race for the Bay Area’s 17th Congressional District just heated up — already pitted against each other are incumbent Mike Honda and Indian American businessman Ro Khanna, now, Pierluigi Oliverio, a San Jose City Councilman has thrown his hat in the ring as well.
Olivero, 46, said he drew inspiration to declare his candicacy as an independent after watching the “mudslinging” in the race between Honda and Khanna. He votes his conscience and follows his heart, and has no obligations to any special interest or need to play dirty trick politics, he said. “Rather than having a mudslinging race, maybe there can actually be a discussion of issues that are facing the country,” Olivero told the San Jose Mercury News in an interview this week. “I think the current campaign is like Donald Trump and Marco Rubio yelling at each other. But with me in the race, we can have a civil discussion like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.”
Olivero will have his work cut out for him — like Honda, he does not live in the district for which he is seeking election, and several political analysts have already labeled his chances as a sever longshot. Some experts claim his candidacy will hardly change the dynamics of the election, which also features two republican candidates, Ron Cohen and Peter Kuo. For Kuo, it’s a shot of redemption after his 2014 District 10 state senate defeat at the hands of Bob Wieckowski.
“Oliverio is not well-known outside his council district and much of the congressional district is actually beyond San Jose,” said Terry Christensen, a political-science professor emeritus at San Jose State. “I can’t imagine him being able to raise enough money — hundreds of thousands of dollars — to compete with Honda and Khanna.”
Christensen added the race might be a tactic Olivero is using to keep his name in the headlines, something several politicians do to stay relevant and spice up their future candidacies. After being eliminated in last year’s San Jose mayoral primary, Olivero could possibly have his sights set on the county supervisor seat which is currently held by Ken Yeager.
Khanna’s contingency admitted to knowing little of Olivero’s history, but is well aware of his familiarity with Honda.
“Like Congressman Honda, he doesn’t live in the district and like Congressman Honda he doesn’t represent the district,” Khanna spokesman Hari Sevugan said. “But what’s clear from his candidacy, and that of so many others, is that there’s a deep desire for change among voters.”
For Honda, Olivero’s announcement was used as a chance to take another jab at his main rival.
“We are glad that a second Democrat has finally joined us in this election,” said campaign manager Michael Beckendorf. “Unlike Ro, Councilmember Oliverio has spent many years in the community interacting with residents and serving his constituents in local government. We welcome him to the race and look forward to a spirited campaign.”
Since joining the City Council in 2007, Olivero, who works a day-job in the tech industry, has spearheaded two successful ballot measures to tax the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries and pension changes for new hires to cut costs to the city. Both measures were met with overwhelming support by the voters. Additionally, Olivero introduced a competitive bidding process for San Jose’s park maintenance services, which resulted in tripling the city’s savings. Widely considered one of the most unorthodox of Bay Area politicians, Olivero employs hardly any staff in his council administration, and carries with him at all times an iPad which allows for live and direct communication with each of his constituents.
However, since 2010, he has been engaged in a battle with the Democrats’ labor wing. During that same year, he was accused of removing campaign signs as a political advantage, Olivero combatted the accusations by saying the signs had been placed illegally on traffic medians throughout the city. Last year, he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former staffer in his administration, who later dropped his name from the suit.
Information from the San Jose Mercury News and Ramona Giwargis contributed to this report.
