Peter Ortiz
Candidate for City Council Member, San Jose, District 5 · Councilmember, City of San Jose District 5
Peter Ortiz is a lifelong East San Jose resident. His mom raised him alone in the McKee-White Road area. As a teen he faced poverty, unstable housing, gang life, and a period of homelessness. He turned to community organizing instead. He served on the Mt. Pleasant School Board and the county Board of Education. He also worked in nonprofit and policy jobs on small business, education, and job training. He won a seat on the San Jose City Council in 2022. As a councilmember, he pushed a $30 million fund to fix up East San Jose. He finished a new playground at Emma Prusch Park. He put a stop to new smoke shops and blocked two new liquor stores. He also wrote a rule that makes homeless service groups report their results if they take city funds.
Positions in brief
Ortiz wants to help homeless people while asking for real results. He wants full police and fire staff. He backs small shops and a big fund to fix up East San Jose.
On homelessness, Ortiz backs housing first, plus mental health care and drug treatment. He wrote a rule that makes service groups report their results. On safety, he wants police and fire fully staffed with fast response times. He also backs youth programs to stop crime before it starts. On the economy, he backs small shops and has blocked new smoke shops and liquor stores. On streets and parks, he is pushing a $30 million fund for East San Jose. It would pay for street fixes, crosswalks, cleanup of dumping and graffiti, murals, and park upgrades, building on the new playground at Emma Prusch Park.
On the issues
- Housing & Homelessness
Supports a housing-first approach with supportive housing, mental-health care, and addiction treatment for homeless residents, backed by a policy requiring city-funded service providers to report outcomes.
“People experiencing homelessness need a hand up, not a handout.”
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Backs full staffing for police and fire departments alongside prevention-focused youth intervention and empowerment programs.
“Public safety is a right, not a privilege.”
Source → - Economy & Jobs
Backs small-business support and has restricted new smoke shops and blocked new liquor stores from opening in the district.
Source → - Infrastructure & Transportation
Pushed for a $30 million East San Jose revitalization fund covering street repairs, crosswalks, illegal-dumping cleanup, and park upgrades.
Source →
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