By Khalida Sarwari
It’s finally official. Susan Ellenberg’s opponent in the November runoff race for Santa Clara County District 4 supervisor will be Don Rocha.
Results of the primary election — certified July 5 by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters — showed Rocha beating Pierluigi Oliverio by 807 votes for second place, thus concluding a contentious race marked by smear tactics and sexual harassment allegations.
It was a race that saw Ellenberg, president of the San Jose Unified School District board, pick up the most votes. And heading into the general election, she’ll also carry the endorsement of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
In an interview Tuesday, San Jose Councilman Rocha brushed off the endorsement, saying he wasn’t surprised by it.
“The Board of Supervisors has been very progressive and really pushed on a lot of key issues and led the way, whereas (the San Jose City Council) has been playing catch up oftentimes,” he said. “I have been more of a progressive elected official and that doesn’t always align with Mayor Liccardo on a number of issues.”
Rocha, whose term on the council will expire at the end of the year, says he feels confident about his chances against Ellenberg.
Now that the seven-candidate field has narrowed down and much of the noise surrounding the June 5 primary race has quieted down, he said he would be playing up his experience, qualifications and accomplishments over his opponent.
“It’s a different race now, entirely different race,” he said.
Ellenberg secured the top spot in the primary with 33.34 percent of the votes to Rocha’s 20.67 percent. Oliverio had the early lead but lost it once the mailed-in and provisional ballots started to get tallied.
Late last week, Oliverio, a former San Jose councilman, said he intends to remain involved in local government but for now is taking time off to travel. He said he would not be asking for a recount.
Last month, he pinned his impending loss on local unions, claiming that their concerted attack against his campaign and deep pockets ultimately influenced the outcome of the race.
“The final results should remind us that every vote counts and well monied special interest groups can influence the outcome of elections,” he said.
It’ll be Rocha versus Ellenberg in Santa Clara County supervisor’s race
