In Santa Clara County, 44.66% of the votes in the 2024 elections have been counted. Here’s where things stand currently with Milpitas…
Carmen Montano is in the lead in her run for mayor, having taken in 5,318 votes. If she is confirmed as the winner, she will serve her second term as mayor. Hon Lien, who is halfway through her current councilmember term, is less than 500 votes behind Montano with 4,876.
Montano, a long-running figure in Milpitas politics, ran a pragmatic campaign focused on improving education and transportation while enhancing Main Street. Lien also showed up as a strong presence, highlighting her ability to offer reasonable solutions to our city’s problems, yet she found herself questioned about her political leanings by former Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez, who videotaped herself asking Lien if she was voting for Donald Trump following The Milpitas Beat’s mayoral candidate forum.
Anthony Phan is in third place with 3,034 votes. The lone progressive in the race in a year in which Trump regained the presidency, it appears that Phan will not be returning to the council after having served two consecutive terms there.
In the City Council race, where two seats are open, it’s certain that Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua will be retaining her seat; she is presently dominating with 7,044 votes. The affable and creative Chua consistently connects with the public through her straightforward and innovative ideas for city improvement.
William Lam is currently in second place with 4,718 votes. Lam has never served in elected office before, but has been a familiar face in Milpitas for years via his work on varied commissions and at the Milpitas Unified School District. Trailing Lam with 4,033 votes is Bill Chuan, the former planning commissioner who ran a steady campaign all election season, highlighting his willingness to help his neighbors, but who found his campaign signs (along with Lien’s) targeted by hateful graffiti during his run’s final days.
We can safely confirm that Rob Jung and Minh Ngo will both be re-elected to their trustee seats on Milpitas Unified School District’s (MUSD) Board of Education. So far, Jung has received 10,139 votes, marking a landslide victory. Interestingly, although Jung has held school board seats twice before, this will be the first time that he’s won an election, as he was an appointee the other two times. A pragmatist who fills a variety of community roles (namely as president of nonprofit Hope for the Unhoused), Jung presented himself to voters as practical, flexible, and a ready listener. His fellow incumbent Minh Ngo is in second place with 7,611 votes, securing the other open seat to carry out his second term. Ngo was first elected in 2020 in a contentious special election following controversy over MUSD’s appointment process. A sincere and stable player, Ngo operates with a commitment to decency and common sense. Political newcomer Douglas Sueoka is trailing the other two men with 3,551 votes.
Measures J and Q, in support of public services and education funding, respectively, both gained overwhelming public support.
The next voting updates will come in by 5pm tomorrow.