Sam Liccardo

Sam Liccardo
Born	Samuel Theodore Liccardo 16 4, 1970
Birthplace	Saratoga, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Template:Hlist
Known for	65th Mayor of San Jose U.S. Representative for California's 16th congressional district
Education	Georgetown University (BA) Harvard University (MPP, JD)

Samuel Theodore Liccardo (born April 16, 1970) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from California's 16th congressional district since January 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Liccardo previously served as the 65th Mayor of San Jose from 2015 to 2023, leading the largest city in Silicon Valley through a period marked by debates over pension reform, homelessness, housing, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before becoming mayor, he represented the 3rd district on the San Jose City Council from 2007 to 2014. As mayor, Liccardo positioned himself as a pragmatic, policy-oriented leader who frequently sought bipartisan solutions on issues ranging from public safety to technology innovation. He led the California Big City Mayors Coalition, advocating on statewide issues including homelessness and pandemic response. After succeeding retiring congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Liccardo brought his focus on housing, technology regulation, and immigration policy to the national stage. His family roots in San Jose stretch back generations, giving him a deep personal connection to the city he led for eight years as its chief executive.

Early Life

Samuel Theodore Liccardo was born on April 16, 1970, in Saratoga, California, a suburban city in Santa Clara County. His family has deep roots in the San Jose area, with connections stretching back to the early history of California. Liccardo grew up in the Silicon Valley region during a period of rapid technological and economic transformation. His Italian-American heritage and multigenerational ties to the community informed his later political identity as someone with an intimate understanding of the region's evolution from an agricultural economy to the global center of the technology industry.

Details of Liccardo's childhood and adolescent years, including his early schooling, are not extensively documented in available sources. However, his decision to pursue studies at Georgetown University and later at Harvard University indicates a trajectory shaped by academic ambition and interest in public policy and law from a relatively early age.

Education

Liccardo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He then attended Harvard University, where he obtained both a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School. This dual graduate education in public policy and law provided Liccardo with a foundation in both the analytical and legal dimensions of governance, which he would later apply in his career as a prosecutor, city councilmember, and mayor.

Career

Legal Career

Before entering elected office, Liccardo worked as an attorney. He served as a federal prosecutor, gaining experience in criminal law and the federal judicial system. This prosecutorial background became a recurring element of his political identity, particularly in discussions of public safety policy during his tenure on the San Jose City Council and as mayor.

San Jose City Council (2007–2014)

Liccardo was elected to represent the 3rd district on the San Jose City Council, taking office on January 1, 2007. He succeeded Cindy Chavez in the seat. He was reelected in 2010, continuing his service through the end of 2014.

During his time on the City Council, Liccardo developed a reputation as a policy-focused legislator with particular interest in public safety, economic development, and fiscal discipline. His tenure on the council coincided with a period of significant fiscal strain for San Jose, as the city grappled with rising pension costs and the aftereffects of the Great Recession.

Mayor of San Jose (2015–2023)

Election

Liccardo ran for mayor of San Jose in 2014, competing in both the June primary and the November general election. He succeeded Chuck Reed as the 65th mayor of San Jose, taking office on January 1, 2015. Liccardo was reelected in 2018, winning with 75.8 percent of the vote, a margin that reflected broad public support for his first-term performance.

Pension Reform

One of the most contentious issues Liccardo inherited and continued to navigate as mayor was the city's pension reform effort. San Jose had passed Measure B in 2012 under Mayor Chuck Reed, which sought to reduce the city's pension obligations. The measure faced sustained legal challenges from public employee unions. New legal challenges were filed against the measure during Liccardo's early tenure.

In December 2015, the city reached a settlement agreement with eight public employee unions over Measure B, resolving years of litigation and labor conflict. The road to pension reform in San Jose was described as long and complex, involving multiple rounds of negotiation and court proceedings. The settlement was seen as a pragmatic resolution that allowed the city to move forward while providing some stability for city workers.

Smart City Initiative

In March 2016, Liccardo unveiled a plan to make San Jose a "smart city," leveraging technology to improve city services, infrastructure, and quality of life for residents. The plan was described as ambitious, though some observers noted its initial vagueness regarding specific implementation details. The San Jose City Council approved the smart city vision, which aimed to use technology and data analytics to address urban challenges including traffic congestion, environmental sustainability, and public safety.

The city subsequently created an Office of Civic Innovation and appointed new officials to further the smart city vision, integrating technology partnerships and data-driven approaches into municipal governance.

Homelessness

Addressing homelessness was a central priority throughout Liccardo's mayoral tenure. San Jose, like many major California cities, experienced a significant and growing homeless population during this period. Liccardo pursued multiple strategies, including the conversion of existing properties into homeless housing. The city council considered using properties such as the Plaza Hotel and the Santa Clara Inn to provide housing for homeless residents.

Liccardo also partnered with Santa Clara County on the "All the Way Home" initiative, which was specifically focused on getting homeless veterans off the streets. As the leader of the California Big City Mayors Coalition, Liccardo advocated for increased state resources and policy changes to address the homelessness crisis across California's largest cities.

Development and Housing

Under Liccardo's leadership, San Jose pursued significant urban development projects aimed at increasing the city's housing stock and transforming its downtown core. High-rise construction projects, such as the One South Market building, were part of a broader effort to reshape the San Jose skyline and accommodate population growth. Housing affordability and supply remained persistent challenges for the city throughout his two terms, reflecting broader regional and statewide trends in California.

COVID-19 Response

As mayor during the onset and early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liccardo played a leading role in coordinating San Jose's public health and economic response. In his capacity as leader of the California Big City Mayors Coalition, he advocated for state and federal resources to support pandemic relief efforts in large cities. The pandemic exacerbated existing challenges in the city, including homelessness and economic inequality, and required rapid adaptation of city services and operations.

U.S. House of Representatives (2025–present)

Election to Congress

Following the retirement of longtime congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Liccardo ran for the seat representing California's 16th congressional district, which encompasses much of Silicon Valley including parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, and communities on the San Francisco Peninsula. He won the election and took office on January 3, 2025.

Legislative Priorities

In Congress, Liccardo has focused on several policy areas that reflect both his mayoral experience and the concerns of his Silicon Valley constituency. Housing supply has been a prominent issue; Liccardo has publicly advocated for increasing America's housing supply and has praised local jurisdictions, such as Mountain View, for taking steps to build more housing.

Liccardo has also engaged with technology policy, particularly the regulation of artificial intelligence. In January 2026, he spoke at Stanford University about AI regulation, clean energy, and bipartisan governance, reflecting on his first year in Congress.

On immigration, Liccardo has taken a particular interest in the H-1B visa program, which is of significant importance to the technology companies in his district. In October 2025, he led a bipartisan group of six House members in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging the administration to reconsider a proposed $100,000 fee on H-1B visas.

In November 2025, Liccardo joined with Republican congressman Kevin Kiley to call for bipartisan action on healthcare, reflecting his interest in cross-party collaboration on policy matters.

Liccardo has also been involved in discussions about corporate mergers and media consolidation. In February 2026, he spoke with NPR about takeover bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, addressing concerns about media ownership and competition.

On trade policy, Liccardo responded to a February 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, emphasizing the significance of the decision for the economy and the rule of law.

Personal Life

Liccardo's family has deep roots in the San Jose area, with connections that trace back to the early history of California. Journalist Scott Herhold of the San Jose Mercury News profiled Liccardo's family history, noting the extent to which his roots are intertwined with the development of the region. These familial ties to San Jose have been a recurring theme in his public life and political identity.

Liccardo is of Italian-American descent. Further details about his personal life, including information about a spouse or children, are not extensively documented in available public sources.

Recognition

During his tenure as mayor of San Jose, Liccardo gained recognition for his leadership on issues including technology and urban innovation. San Jose's smart city initiative drew attention from technology and government publications, positioning the city as an example of how municipal governments could leverage data and innovation to improve services.

His role as leader of the California Big City Mayors Coalition provided him with a statewide platform to advocate on major policy issues. Liccardo's reelection as mayor in 2018 with 75.8 percent of the vote represented one of the larger margins of victory in recent San Jose mayoral elections.

Since entering Congress, Liccardo has been recognized for his efforts to work across party lines, as evidenced by his joint initiatives with Republican members on healthcare and immigration policy. His engagement with technology policy issues at institutions such as Stanford University has further established his profile as a congressman focused on the intersection of technology and governance.

Legacy

Liccardo's eight-year tenure as mayor of San Jose left a significant imprint on the city's trajectory. His administration oversaw the resolution of the protracted Measure B pension dispute, which had strained relations between the city and its public employee unions for years. The settlement reached in 2015 allowed San Jose to move beyond the litigation and focus on rebuilding its workforce and public services.

The smart city initiative launched under Liccardo represented an effort to align San Jose's municipal operations with the technological innovation occurring in its surrounding business community. The creation of the Office of Civic Innovation established an institutional framework for technology-driven governance that continued under his successor, Matt Mahan.

On homelessness, Liccardo's tenure illustrated both the scale of the challenge and the limitations of municipal responses to a crisis driven by statewide and national factors. His advocacy through the California Big City Mayors Coalition helped elevate homelessness as a priority issue at the state level, though the problem remained acute in San Jose and across California at the conclusion of his time as mayor.

In Congress, Liccardo has carried forward many of the themes that defined his mayoral tenure—housing, technology, and pragmatic problem-solving—applying them to the national legislative context. His transition from leading California's third-largest city to representing a Silicon Valley congressional district reflects a continuity of focus on the policy challenges facing the region.