Anthony Tordillos is one of San José's newest and most compelling elected officials, bringing a working-class background, tech industry experience, and deep housing policy expertise to City Hall. He assumed office on August 12, 2025, following a special election victory, and his current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Tordillos was born and raised in a working-class, low-income home in Washington State, the son of a machinist and a nonprofit worker. His father lost his job due to chronic illness, and the family relied on disability insurance to get by. Thanks to quality public schools and the social safety net, Tordillos became the first person in his family to go to college, earning a Bachelor of Science from Yale University in 2014. He worked campus jobs throughout college and full-time during summers to help pay his way — an experience that deeply shaped his conviction that government should work for working families.
At Yale, he met his husband, Giovanni, who would go on to become a cancer researcher. After graduating, the couple settled in San José in 2018. Tordillos built a career as an engineering manager at YouTube (a Google subsidiary), where he led teams and developed a data-driven, results-oriented approach to problem-solving that he would later bring to public service.
Before running for council, Tordillos immersed himself in civic life at the neighborhood and city level. He served as President of the South University Neighborhood (SUN) Association in District 3, partnering with city departments, local nonprofits, and SJSU student groups to organize monthly litter pickups, park cleanups, public art projects, and community events. He also secured a Knight Foundation grant to pilot traffic-calming measures on neighborhood streets.
In 2022, he was appointed by the City Council to represent District 3 on the San José Planning Commission, where he quickly developed a reputation for thorough preparation and policy depth. He was instrumental in helping San José achieve a compliant Housing Element and advocated for policies to improve affordability, prevent displacement, and create pathways for tens of thousands of new homes. After just one year, his fellow commissioners elected him Chair for the 2024–2025 term — making him the first openly gay Chair in the commission's history.
The District 3 council seat came open following the resignation of former Councilmember Omar Torres, who left office amid a child sex abuse scandal and later pleaded no contest to child molestation charges. Tordillos won the special election runoff in June 2025 with 64% of the vote, defeating Gabby Chavez-Lopez of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley. His victory surprised some observers, as he outmaneuvered both labor-backed and mayor-backed candidates to win Mayor Mahan's endorsement after the primary.
He was sworn into office on August 12, 2025, and is considered the third openly gay member in San José City Council history. District 3 covers downtown San José and adjacent neighborhoods including Naglee Park, the SoFA district, and areas surrounding San José State University.
In his early months in office, Tordillos has focused on housing production, public safety, and downtown revitalization. He has advanced the Gateway Tower project — a 15-story building delivering 220 affordable apartments in the SoFA district — and pushed to reduce home-building costs through building code reform. He has also supported a temporary ban on new tobacco shops and increased fines for blighted properties. Just four months into office, he announced his reelection campaign for a full four-year term beginning in 2027.
