Carmen Montano for California Senate District 10. Election 2026. DEFENDING YOUR HOME.
PROTECTING OUR FUTURE.
Carmen Montano is the Mayor of Milpitas and a candidate for California Senate District 10 in the 2026 election. She is a 26-year educator and proven executive—putting fiscal discipline, safe streets, and the suburban middle class ahead of extreme partisan politics.
The Biography
Rooted in our community. Built for executive leadership.
Carmen's story is the story of the Bay Area middle class. Raised in the historic Sunnyhills neighborhood—one of the nation's first planned integrated communities—she learned early that strong communities require serious stewardship.
She spent 26 years as a public school teacher, specializing in ESL and literacy. She didn't just teach; she built Family Resource Centers to provide immediate, tangible support to immigrant and working-class families.
As the historic first Latina and first female Mayor of Milpitas, Carmen brought an educator's pragmatism to government. While other cities embraced chaos, her administration cut the structural deficit by 43%, fiercely protected police and fire funding, and stood up to state mandates to protect single-family neighborhoods.
2
Time Mayor
20+
Years as an Elected Official
43%
Deficit Reduction
1st
Woman & Hispanic Mayor of Milpitas
The Policy Blueprint
A BOLD DEFENSE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS.
We cannot accept the slow collapse of the California Dream. Carmen's platform for California Senate District 10 pushes the boundaries of what is possible to deliver immediate relief to seniors, homeowners, and taxpayers.
Protecting seniors and homeowners from Sacramento's tax hikes and utility surcharges.
The 60+ Property Tax Exemption
Montano will be the foremost champion of Initiative #25-0035 to completely exempt homeowners aged 60 and older from ad valorem property taxes on their principal residence. She will fund the local backfill by closing the $3 billion 'water's edge' corporate offshore tax loophole.
Maximizing the $40,000 SALT Deduction
Following the federal 'One Big Beautiful Bill', Montano will author the California SALT Conformity Act, ensuring the Franchise Tax Board seamlessly allows Silicon Valley homeowners to fully deduct up to $40,000 in local property and state income taxes.
Reversing CPUC Fixed Utility Charges
Montano will introduce emergency legislation to repeal AB 205's mandatory income-graduated fixed electricity charges. Grid modernization must be funded by infrastructure bonds, not by penalizing moderate energy users and seniors on fixed incomes.
Uncompromising support for law enforcement, strict retail theft penalties, and local zoning control.
Organized Retail Crime Mandatory Minimums
Montano will establish strict, un-waivable mandatory minimum sentences for flash-mob 'smash-and-grab' retail thieves and fencing operations, stripping judicial leniency for repeat offenders who terrorize our commercial corridors.
Safe Neighborhoods Block Grants
Unlike opponents who voted to defund police auditors for casino tax breaks, Montano will redirect state savings into direct, no-strings-attached grants for local police to hire specialized retail theft units.
The Municipal Zoning Sovereignty Act
To protect family neighborhoods from out-of-touch corporate mandates, Montano's legislation will grant local communities a binding 'veto' over the placement of recreational cannabis dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools and senior living facilities.
Stabilizing the collapsing homeowners insurance market and subsidizing home hardening.
The Insurance Policyholder Bill of Rights
Montano's legislation will legally compel insurance companies to offer and renew policies for any homeowner who meets state-certified wildfire safety standards, strictly prohibiting retaliatory non-renewals.
Pragmatic Prop 103 Reform
To lure reinsurance capital back to California, Montano supports allowing forward-looking catastrophe modeling to set rates, breaking the gridlock that has forced thousands onto the inadequate FAIR Plan.
The Safe Homes Tax Credit
Montano will author a massive, refundable state income tax credit (up to $25,000) for homeowners who invest in certified wildfire mitigation, directly lowering the localized risk profile without bankrupting families.
Demanding academic excellence, protecting STEM pathways, and ending bureaucratic social experiments.
Protecting Merit-Based Admissions
As a 26-year educator, Montano knows true equity requires high standards. She will forcefully oppose state mandates that cap advanced math tracks or dismantle merit-based admissions at elite public high schools.
Expanding STEM and GATE Programs
Montano will aggressively fight for expanded state funding for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) and accelerated STEM pathways, ensuring Silicon Valley's next generation remains globally competitive.
Automatic CSU Admissions
She strongly supports expanding policies like SB 640 to grant automatic, transparent admission to the California State University system for highly qualified high school graduates, relieving immense pressure on suburban parents.
Bold Economic Armor
Protecting seniors and homeowners from Sacramento's tax hikes and utility surcharges.
The 60+ Property Tax Exemption
Montano will be the foremost champion of Initiative #25-0035 to completely exempt homeowners aged 60 and older from ad valorem property taxes on their principal residence. She will fund the local backfill by closing the $3 billion 'water's edge' corporate offshore tax loophole.
Maximizing the $40,000 SALT Deduction
Following the federal 'One Big Beautiful Bill', Montano will author the California SALT Conformity Act, ensuring the Franchise Tax Board seamlessly allows Silicon Valley homeowners to fully deduct up to $40,000 in local property and state income taxes.
Reversing CPUC Fixed Utility Charges
Montano will introduce emergency legislation to repeal AB 205's mandatory income-graduated fixed electricity charges. Grid modernization must be funded by infrastructure bonds, not by penalizing moderate energy users and seniors on fixed incomes.
California District 10 Agenda
LOCAL SOVEREIGNTY. STATE RESULTS.
A district as geographically vast as California Senate District 10 requires bespoke, hyper-local policy solutions. Carmen will execute a ruthless geographical squeeze, monopolizing her base while demanding state action for distinct communities.
Fremont homeowners are under siege by Sacramento's aggressive upzoning laws (AB 130/SB 9) that destroy single-family zoning. Montano will endorse legislation allowing high-performing municipalities to regain local control over their density planning, shielding suburban enclaves from state bureaucratic overreach.
Hayward families need state partners who fund infrastructure and public safety first—not one-size-fits-all housing mandates that outrun roads, transit, and schools. Montano will push for impact fees and state matching dollars that align with what residents actually experience on the ground.
As Sunnyvale converts 1,300 acres into the Moffett Park 'Eco-Innovation District', Montano will champion state policies that match local transit impact fees dollar-for-dollar—provided the state funds are used exclusively to build out mass transit, water plants, and schools before new high-density units are occupied.
Montano advocates for doubling state matching funds for aggressive 'BeautifySJ' encampment sweeps near school buffer zones and stronger state-local coordination so San Jose neighborhoods get sustained relief—not just headlines.
With public safety costs consuming half of Santa Clara's general fund due to mega-events, Montano will propose an independent state audit of the Stadium Authority. Her legislation will require billion-dollar sports franchises to fully pre-fund police overtime in a state-managed escrow account, protecting local taxpayers.
Montano will elevate the landfill odor crisis to a state-level environmental justice issue, empowering the BAAQMD to enforce massive daily financial penalties on operators, bypassing San Jose's municipal protection where necessary to protect Milpitas families.
Union City sits at the crossroads of major regional transit. Montano will fight for state policies that protect residential corridors from incompatible growth, fund first/last-mile safety, and keep housing plans tied to real infrastructure capacity—not Sacramento's spreadsheet fantasies.
Newark proves that tight-knit communities can punch above their weight when schools and city services stay accountable. Montano will prioritize state education dollars that reach classrooms and oppose unfunded mandates that strain small-city budgets.
Endorsements
Backed by Police, Fire, Labor, Business—and hometown leaders across the Bay.
Joined by 50+ Mayors, City Councilmembers, and School Board Trustees across the East Bay and South Bay.
Milpitas Police Officers Association
Milpitas Firefighters Local 1699
Elected Officials
- Congressman - Ro Khanna
- Former Assemblymember - Kansen Chu
- Community College District Trustee - Ann Yap Jequinto
- Community College District Trustee - Maria Fuentes
- Santa Clara County Supervisor - Sylvia Arenas
- Milpitas Vice Mayor - Garry Barbadillo
- Milpitas Councilmember - Evelyn Chua
- Milpitas Councilmember - William Lam
- Santa Clara Mayor - Lisa Gillmor
- Santa Clara Councilmember - Kelly Cox
- Santa Clara Councilmember - Albert Gonzalez
- Sunnyvale Councilmember - Murali Srinivasan
- Fremont Councilmember - Yang Shao
- Union City Vice Mayor - Jaime Patiño
- Union City Councilmember - Jeff Wang
- Newark Councilmember - Eva Marie Little
- Cupertino Mayor - Kitty Moore
- Cupertino Vice Mayor - Liang-Fang Chao
- Mountain View Mayor - Emily Ann Ramos
- Dublin Mayor - Sherry Hu
- Los Altos Councilmember - Stanley Mok
- Daly City Councilmember - Juslyn Manalo
- Campbell Mayor - Sergio Lopez
- Morgan Hill Mayor - Mark Turner
- Huron Mayor - Rey Leon
- Former Milpitas Mayor - Jose Esteves
- Former Milpitas Mayor - Robert Livengood
- Former Milpitas Vice Mayor - Armando Gomez
- Former Milpitas Councilmember - Debbie Giordano
- Former Santa Clara Vice Mayor - Kathy Watanabe
- Former Union City Vice Mayor - Jim Navarro
- Union City Former Vice Mayor - Pat Gacoscos
- Former East Palo Alto Mayor - Ruben Abrica
- FMSD School Board Trustee - George Sanchez
- Milpitas School Board Trustee - Chris Norwood
- Former Newark School Board Trustee - Ray Rodriguez
- Berryessa Union School District Superintendent - Will Ector
- Milpitas Planning Commissioner - Dipak Awasthi
- Milpitas Planning Commissioner - Dawn Brown
- Milpitas Planning Commissioner - Olania Castillo
- Former California LULAC President - Mickie Luna
Organizations
- Milpitas Police Officers Association
- Milpitas Firefighters Local 1699
- Milpitas Employees Association
- American Indian Association
- Federation of Indian Americans of Northern California (FIA)
Individuals
- Dr. Romesh Jopra
- Bernadette Gomez
- Jackson Peterson
- Edward Escobar
- Jack Lin
- Lisa Lau
- Dwight Buchanan
- Jennifier Nguyen
- Vicky Au
- Wilma Baltar
- Dawn Brown
- Alice Nguyen
- Chia Ling Kong
- CB Patel
- Anurada Sankarah
- Sonita Lodka
- Naina Bhandary
- Rosalidia Dubon
- Wendy Huang
- Jackie Wu
- Amy Alcazar
- Henry Nichols
- Evelyn Chua
- Jim Navarro
- Frank Ruiz
- Nha-Nghi Nguyen
- Marc Muniz
- Thomas Feng
- Phoenix Chiang
- Anna Salong
- Enrique Calderon
- Larry Xie
~ Partial List ~
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