ABOUT SUDS JAIN
WHERE I COME FROM
I was born in Delhi, India in 1961 but my parents moved to Davis, California in 1963 where I lived until I went away to college.
I attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where I earned BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering. It was in a fraternity there that I acquired the nickname, "Suds". After working for 5 years in New Jersey, I moved to California to be closer to my parents and to work for a startup company in Redwood City. After working at several computer networking companies in the Bay Area, I retired in 2008 to "give back". I became a fulltime volunteer working on climate change and education issues. For a number of years, I maintained computers at Washington Open Elementary and Discovery Charter schools. I co-founded the Wilcox Robotics Team with Councilmember Karen Hardy in 2014 and continue to coach the team at there Wilcox High. It was my involvement with Santa Clara's Climate Action Plan than led me to apply to the Planning Commission where I served since from 2015 to 2020 when I was elected to the Santa Clara City Council for District 5.
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Lori and I have been married for over 25 years and we have a 25-year-old son, Anand, who attended Washington Open Elementary and Santa Clara High School.
WHY I AM RUNNING FOR COUNCIL
We've lived in the historic Wilson House in the Old Quad since 1999. We've had a couple of SCU "boarding houses" across the street from us so we understand well the impacts of students on the other residents of the Old Quad. In fact, we put in double-hung wood double pane windows in the bedrooms facing the boarding houses to keep the noise levels down. I've served on the board of the Old Quad Residents Association since it was restarted in 2014. But that's not the main reason why I first ran for City Council in 2016 when Council seats were at large (entire city).
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I got involved with the City when I donated money to Santa Clara Plays Fair and walked precincts to oppose Levi's Stadium (Measure J). I got more involved when I saw how weak our Climate Action plan was in 2013. That prompted me to apply to be on the Planning Commission. I served on the Planning commission for 5 years and I have made a significant difference to make our City better. But planning commissioners can only rule on a project based on whether it complies with the existing General Plan and Zoning Code. Commissioners cannot make or set policy. Real change like increasing the amount of affordable housing or getting public art happens at the City Council level. That's why I ran in 2016 and again in 2020.
VOTE FOR EXPERIENCE
Standing Up For All Santa Clarans
As a Santa Clara City Councilmember for the past 4 years, I have a proven track record for being an effective voice in Santa Clara. I have been very active in advocating for a better quality of life for Santa Clarans since before 2013. I opposed the Stadium because I worried about traffic, noise and public safety. I thought it was too much for a small city like Santa Clara. Little did I know how much City Council time and energy the Stadium would consume. I also pushed to make it easier and cheaper to provide live music in our restaurants.
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Before I got elected, I attended most council meetings. In fact, the Silicon Valley Voice (Santa Clara Weekly) often called me a "council mainstay". I read the long packets and offered constructive suggestions. I protested the deal to give the Youth Soccer Park to the 49ers for parking and I complained about wasteful spending like $2 million of taxpayer money for SuperBowl celebrations or extremely expensive landscaping or painting overpasses at Lawrence and El Camino. I have opposed no-bid contracts and exclusive negotiating agreements.
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I understand the need for public safety and strongly support our firefighters and police officers. I attended CERT classes and the Citizens' Police Academy (CPA). I was also on the Chief of Police Advisory committee when we discussed things like pursuit and drone policies. I'm the neighborhood watch captain for my neighborhood and I have hosted National Night Out parties for my neighbors for over 20 years. I have been endorsed by former Chief of Police Mike Sellers and former Councilmember and SCPD police officer Pat Kolstad.
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I have the experience because I have served on the Planning Commission for 5 years and understand land use. I was Planning Commission Chair in 2018/19 and served as the Chair of the Charter Review Committee in 2019. As a planning commissioner, I served on the El Camino Real Specific Area Plan committee and the affordable housing nexus study committee. As a Councilmember I serve on the boards of VTA, Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (Amtrak from San Jose to Sacramento).