Buddha statues towered behind a makeshift stage at a Vietnamese temple in San Jose. Mayoral candidates Cindy Chavez and Matt Mahan faced the camera, ready for their debate to be transmitted by Diya TV, an Indian American broadcast station, to its South Asian diaspora audience across the U.S.
No voting bloc is being overlooked in what is shaping up to be a big-money, high-stakes and sometimes bitter contest to run the 10th largest city in the nation and one of the most diverse cities in the country. Whoever wins the mayor’s race in the Nov. 8 general election will be tasked with steering a city with a $5 billion budget and a growing affordability crisis.