District 3 was first established in the 2018 election cycle after the Judge in the City of Santa Clara California Voting Rights lawsuit ordered 6 individual Council districts. Karen Hardy replaced Pat Kolstad, a long time Councilmember that termed out and retired to Washington. Karen Hardy became the first District 3 Councilmember when elected in a district and neighborhood that was under-represented for years on the City Council. Karen Hardy was a long time teacher at Wilcox High School that is in the heart of District 3. 

In 2018 the race was Karen Hardy vs. Sam Kumar (his real name is Srinivasan Sambathkumar). Karen won the race in a landslide despite all the negative attacks from her opponent Sam Kumar. Sam Kumar used to own a restaurant on El Camino real that continues to sit empty for years, which is a great example of the city’s blight. Former Councilmember Teresa O’Neill used to hold town hall/community meetings at Sam’s restaurant and she encouraged him to run against Karen Hardy. Ultimately it was known around town that Sam Kumar had two voting residences and was accused of voting multiple times. Karen Hardy ran an efficient ground campaign that hit all of her entire neighborhood which is mostly single family homes. Karen winning was not a surprise as she was very well known in the community after serving years on the planning commission and having run for city council multiple times in the past coming up short. Raj Chahal won with 71% in 2018 and in 2022 Karen Hardy had a little stiffer competition while running for re-election and still won with 64% over Christian Pelleccia, a member of the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, someone deeply aligned with Mayor Gillmor. 

District 3 has a unique shape that encompasses the northside of El Camino and a sliver of land south of El Camino between district 4 and the City of Sunnyvale border City Hall. It is a confusing district for some but is often known for the Bird Street neighborhood and Wilcox High School. The Calabazas Creek slices right down the middle of the district and is bordered by Bowers Avenue to the east and the railroad corridor to the north. District 3 shares a heavy border with the City of Sunnyvale and one of its main borders along El Caminos Real is a prime area for redevelopment and changes. Currently in the past years several developments have gotten started and lots of questions linger around the shopping center on the corner of Lawrence Expressway and El Camino Real. District 3 and District 4 share the border on El Camino which is the heart of Koreatown. 

Here is the link to finding out what district you live in. https://www.santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-a-f/city-clerk-s-office/find-your-council-district  If you live in District 3 and want to run this may be your chance. 

2026 offers the opportunity for the second serving District 3 Councilmember. Who will it be? So far there is a variety of candidates and some I may not have covered. These are the current names popping up for District 3. 

Note to reader: these are my opinions.

Christian Pellecchia is a front runner if you think of the power of Gillmor with no incumbent in office. Pellecchia ran for this same seat in 2022 against Karen Hardy and was beaten easily. Gillmor and the Police Union supported Christian and were planting the seeds for a possible future run. Pellecchia was involved heavily in the rebooted and Gillmor-influenced Chamber of Commerce, which Christian led till he stepped down to run for City Council in 2022. Pellecchia is also currently dating current Councilmember Kelly Cox. If Kelly Cox stays on the city council and Christian were to run and win we would have dating Councilmembers. Conflict of interest much or is it incestual politics? It seems to be the norm in Santa Clara with a history of incestual politics run by the old guard by means of musical chairs before the districts came about. Pellecchia’s weakness is himself, he never stood out and never made an impact. Yet Christians girlfriend Kelly Cox and Albert Gonzalez didn’t really make an impact let alone campaign and they both still won. With Christian Pellecchia having prior campaign experience and Gillmor Machine behind him he is a frontrunner. 

Eric Cruchlow is currently on the planning commission. He has been a positive addition to that commission however some say he is closed minded based on some of his votes. Cruchlow’s past comments on Robert Haugh’s blog are concerning coming from a seemingly Gillmor influence. Yet he could be a good candidate but the big question is will he side with Gillmor or be an independent servant to the city. Karen Hardy is pushing Cruchlow as her replacement.  

Gary Ferraris is a strong candidate for the following factors. Yes, he may have no experience on the council or commissions which will factor against him some. Yet what weights in his favor is he is a former City of Santa Clara employee, former union leader and current union rep. Ferraris worked for the City for a long time and during turbulent years when Deanna Santana was City Manager. Ferraris spoke out against Santana’s terrible failed leadership that led Santa Clara into a hole with Mayor Gillmor. Ferraris supported Santana’s termination and had major concerns with top heavy salaries at city hall. That might be the solution to Santa Clara’s needs. Ferraris is a likable guy, personable, friendly, has leadership qualities and tons of common sense. While mentioning his flaws for not having committee or council experience it could be a plus for him. He would have big union support and knows how to campaign since he walked neighborhoods for many other candidates.

Vickie Fairchild is a current school board member like Albert Gonzalez was. Fairchild is currently serving on the board with Kathy Watanabe. Fairchild for a while was pro Gillmor but many believe Fairchild saw the writing on the wall that Gillmor isn’t the only big name in town. One could see Vickie Fairchild taking the leap from the school board to city council because of not wanting to serve with Kathy Watanabe who will be leaking everything to Gillmor that she does. Last year while Vickie was serving as the President of the School board she divulged that Mayor Lisa Gillmor called her and yelled at her and harassed her to give her closed session information about the Dominic Caserta settlement and the school land. Clearly something big was there for why Gillmor wanted to know all the facts and harassed Vickie Fairchild for it. With Vickie coming forward with this revelation of Gillmor’s bad behavior, you can bet that Vickie is now on the Gillmor naughty list. That right there is political suicide and will work against Vickie Fairchild if she wants to run for council or even re-election to school board. Vickie stood up to Gillmor’s bully behavior and we know what happens to those who stand up to Gillmor, there is a long track record. 

Unnamed 49ers candidate, again you can’t count out the 49ers who are trying to recruit. 

Bottom Line: District 3 shares a border with the City of Sunnyvale. While Councilmember Karen Hardy worked closely with Sunnyvale Councilmember Russ Melton whose district bordered Karens. The newest District 3 Councilmember will have to create a collaborative relationship with the new Sunnyvale Councilmember Charlsie Chang, continuing what Karen Hardy started. Whomever is elected in District 3 has a lot to prepare for and hopefully hits the ground running. The district needs a strong leader that is attentive to all the happenings and needs of the community. As mentioned before, this neighborhood and district was underrepresented on the city council for years, often forgotten or confused for Sunnyvale. Who wins will have to make sure their neighborhoods are not forgotten and work well with neighboring cities. The District 3 rep will also have the task of preserving Koreatown and its significance to the city. The most important factor in the District 3 race for the city of Santa Clara is just like the other races, to prevent a Gillmor machine backed candidate from getting into office. If District 3 falls to the Gillmor machine it pushes further to a Gillmor majority. If Gillmor sticks around the council post Mayor role, you know she is trying to get a majority for her Mayor Kathy. 

Roger Kint