Longtime South Bay Leader Cindy Chavez Could be Leaving for New Mexico

A political era could be coming to an end in the South Bay.

Longtime Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez has been selected to be the next manager of Bernalillo County in New Mexico.

The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners approved Chavez, originally from New Mexico, by a 3–2 vote from a list of three finalists. She would still have to accept the offer, which is contingent on contract negotiations and a background check, according to the county.

Chavez, who is set to be termed out of her seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors at the end of this year, is “not in a position” to discuss what she will do next and will not be commenting Wednesday, a spokesperson for the supervisor told KQED.

Eric C. Olivas, vice chair of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners, said during the meeting that Chavez has shown incredible leadership in San José and Santa Clara County, a “complicated” area with a significant economy.

“Ms. Chavez represents one of the most diverse districts in her county, if not the most diverse district, [and] knows how to work with a variety of communities,” Olivas said. “[She] knows how to work with labor, knows how to work with the business community, knows how to work with employees.”

Chavez has served more than a decade on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors after first winning a special election in 2013 and being reelected twice.

She also served eight years on the San José City Council from 1998 to 2006, including a stint as vice mayor, before going on to head up the South Bay Labor Council in 2009 and later the progressive policy group Working Partnerships USA.

Chavez ran unsuccessfully for mayor of San José twice — in 2006 against her then-council colleague Chuck Reed and in 2022 in a close race against Matt Mahan.

She is currently the chair of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors and a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Just months after the 2022 mayoral election defeat, Chavez was reported to have received a conditional offer for the county administrator role in San Diego.

But the appointment process was upended by allegations of sexual assault against San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, one of Chavez’s backers, who later resigned, and the board restarted the search.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Chavez apparently didn’t make the final cut for the top job, and Ebony Shelton was recently appointed.

In Bernalillo County, Olivas, Board Chair Barbara Baca, and Commissioner Adriann Barboa backed Chavez. Commissioners Walt Benson and Steven Michael Quezada preferred Marcos Gonzales, the county’s current executive development officer.

“She is a servant leader and a senior executive offering a 25-year tenure in the public sector, crucial for transformative change amongst donors, corporations, government and community partners,” Baca said at the meeting. “I think we have a stellar candidate in Ms. Chavez.”

The current Bernalillo County manager, Julie Morgas Baca, will retire on June 30. The board approved appointing Deputy County Manager of Finance Shirley Ragin as an interim Bernalillo County manager until contractual negotiations are completed, the county said.