Matt Mahan

Matt Mahan
Official portrait, 2023
Matt Mahan
Born	Matthew William Mahan 18 11, 1982
Birthplace	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, tech entrepreneur
Known for	67th Mayor of San Jose, co-founder of Brigade Media
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Children	2
Website	[mahanforsanjose.com Official site]

Matthew William Mahan (born November 18, 1982) is an American politician and technology entrepreneur serving as the 67th mayor of San Jose, California, since January 2023. Before entering elected office, Mahan built a career in Silicon Valley as the co-founder and CEO of Brigade Media, a civic technology company backed by prominent tech investors that sought to increase voter participation and political engagement through digital platforms. He entered local politics in 2020, winning election to the San Jose City Council representing District 10, and served on the council from January 2021 until his inauguration as mayor two years later. In the November 2022 mayoral election, Mahan, a member of the Democratic Party, defeated veteran politician Cindy Chavez to become the leader of the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third-largest city in California. His tenure as mayor has been marked by attention to issues including homelessness, public safety, and municipal labor relations. Mahan is a candidate in the 2026 California gubernatorial election.

Early Life

Matthew William Mahan was born on November 18, 1982, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and developed an early interest in civic affairs and public service. Details about his parents and upbringing remain limited in publicly available records, though his later career trajectory—spanning both technology entrepreneurship and local government—suggests formative exposure to both the innovation culture of the Bay Area and the complexities of urban governance in major California cities.

Mahan eventually settled in San Jose, where he and his family established roots in the city's Almaden Valley neighborhood, a largely residential area in the southern part of the city. His connection to the Almaden Valley community would later serve as the geographic and political foundation for his entry into elected office as the District 10 representative on the San Jose City Council.

Education

Mahan attended Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. His time at Harvard preceded his entry into the technology sector and his subsequent career in civic technology and public service. Additional details regarding his specific field of study or other educational experiences have not been extensively documented in available sources.

Career

Technology and Brigade Media

Before entering politics, Mahan established himself in Silicon Valley's technology sector. He co-founded and served as CEO of Brigade Media, a civic technology startup that aimed to use digital tools to increase civic engagement and voter turnout in the United States. The company attracted significant attention in the technology press and beyond due in part to its association with Sean Parker, the billionaire tech investor and former president of Facebook, who provided backing for the venture.

Brigade launched as a social network designed to help users engage with political issues, express their views, and connect with others who shared their positions. The platform represented an attempt to apply Silicon Valley's approaches to social networking and user engagement to the challenge of political participation, which had long been characterized by low turnout rates, particularly among younger voters. The company's premise was that technology could lower barriers to political engagement and create new avenues for citizens to participate in democratic processes beyond simply casting a vote on Election Day.

The company's profile was featured by Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a regional collaborative organization, which highlighted Mahan's role as a civic-minded entrepreneur working at the intersection of technology and democratic participation.

Despite its ambitious goals and high-profile backing, Brigade ultimately did not achieve sustained commercial viability. In May 2019, TechCrunch reported that Brigade's technology and assets were acquired by Countable, another civic technology company focused on helping users communicate with their elected representatives. The transition from Brigade to Countable marked the effective end of Mahan's primary tech venture, though the experience shaped his understanding of civic engagement and informed his subsequent move into electoral politics.

San Jose City Council (2021–2023)

Following his career in technology, Mahan turned to local politics. In the 2020 election cycle, he entered the race for the District 10 seat on the San Jose City Council, which was being vacated by termed-out Councilmember Johnny Khamis. The District 10 seat represented the Almaden Valley and other neighborhoods in southern San Jose. Three candidates competed for the open seat, and Mahan ultimately prevailed with a decisive victory.

Mahan took office as the District 10 councilmember in January 2021, entering city government during a period of significant upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Jose Mercury News reported on the swearing-in of Mahan and the city's other new councilmember, noting the unusual circumstances of beginning public service amid the pandemic. San José Spotlight also covered Mahan's preparations to assume office, highlighting his plans and priorities as the new representative for the Almaden Valley area.

During his time on the council, Mahan engaged with a range of municipal issues including housing policy, public safety, and infrastructure. His tenure on the council was relatively brief—spanning approximately two years—as he soon set his sights on the city's top executive office. His successor on the District 10 council seat was Arjun Batra.

Mayor of San Jose (2023–present)

2022 Mayoral Election

In 2022, Mahan entered the race to succeed outgoing Mayor Sam Liccardo, who was term-limited. The mayoral election drew significant attention as a contest between Mahan, who positioned himself as a newcomer bringing a technology and business background to city governance, and Cindy Chavez, a veteran of Santa Clara County politics who had served on the County Board of Supervisors and had previously run for mayor in 2006.

NBC Bay Area profiled Mahan as a mayoral candidate during the campaign, examining his background and policy positions. The race was closely watched as a contest that reflected broader tensions within the Democratic Party between candidates representing different constituencies—with Mahan drawing support from business and tech-aligned voters and Chavez drawing support from organized labor and progressive advocacy groups.

In the November 2022 general election, Mahan prevailed. Chavez conceded the race to Mahan following the tallying of ballots, as reported by the Mercury News. Hoodline characterized the outcome as a "city government rookie" edging out "a political veteran," underscoring the contrast between the two candidates' levels of political experience.

Metro Silicon Valley later profiled Mahan's trajectory from tech entrepreneur to the city's highest office, examining the path that had taken him from Brigade Media to the mayor's desk.

Tenure as Mayor

Mahan was inaugurated as the 67th Mayor of San Jose on January 1, 2023, succeeding Sam Liccardo. As mayor of San Jose, Mahan assumed leadership of a city with a population exceeding one million residents, making it the largest city in the Bay Area and the tenth-largest city in the United States.

One of the significant early actions of Mahan's administration involved municipal labor relations. In August 2023, the San Jose City Council approved a series of labor agreements with the city's employee unions. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the city's contract negotiations with labor unions during this period. The Silicon Valley Business Journal also covered the approval of these labor deals, noting that the council voted to approve agreements with multiple unions representing city workers.

The City of San Jose's official website has documented various announcements and initiatives undertaken during Mahan's time as mayor, reflecting the range of municipal governance issues that the administration has addressed.

Mahan's approach to governance has drawn upon his background in technology and business, bringing a perspective shaped by his experience in Silicon Valley. As mayor, he has dealt with issues common to major California cities, including the homelessness crisis, housing affordability, public safety, and infrastructure maintenance.

2026 Gubernatorial Campaign

Mahan is a candidate in the 2026 California gubernatorial election, seeking to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. The campaign represents a significant step in Mahan's political career, moving from municipal governance to a statewide race in the nation's most populous state. As a relatively recent entrant to politics who first won elected office in 2020, Mahan's gubernatorial bid would represent a rapid ascent through the political ranks if successful.

Personal Life

Mahan married Silvia Wedad Scandar, as reported in a wedding announcement published by The New York Times in June 2012. The couple has two children.

Mahan and his family reside in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of San Jose, the same community he represented on the San Jose City Council before becoming mayor. His roots in the neighborhood provided the foundation for his initial entry into local politics and his campaign for the District 10 council seat.

Mahan is a registered member of the Democratic Party.

Recognition

Mahan's career has been the subject of coverage in numerous local and national media outlets. His work at Brigade Media was profiled by The Guardian, which examined the company's effort to create a social network that could boost voter turnout. Joint Venture Silicon Valley featured Mahan as part of its profile series on notable Silicon Valley figures working in civic-oriented ventures.

His mayoral campaign and victory received extensive coverage from Bay Area media outlets, including the Mercury News, NBC Bay Area, Hoodline, San José Inside, and Metro Silicon Valley. His appearances and activities have been documented by C-SPAN.

Mahan's biographical record is maintained in the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) and the Library of Congress authority records.