Editorial: Pick Jim Zito to fill District 8 seat on SJ City Council

Challenger's problem-solving ability gives him the edge over incumbent Arenas.

The San Jose City Council District 8 race features two bright, qualified candidates who are polar opposites in their approach to key issues facing the district and the city.

Veteran Evergreen School District trustee Jim Zito is challenging incumbent Sylvia Arenas to determine who will represent the sprawling district that encompasses the Evergreen Valley and parts of East San Jose.

Zito is the business candidate in the race, while Arenas has the backing of labor. We recommend Zito to voters.

What sets him apart from his opponent is the breadth of his experience and his ability to offer innovative solutions to issues, particularly those involving challenging budget decisions.

He is a good listener with an independent streak that enables him to look beyond the straight party line during debates. That will serve District 8 well, especially in the event of a economic downturn that forces difficult financial decisions.

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Zito is a retired biotech engineer who has spent the last four years as a middle school math teacher. He has a long history of District 8 involvement.  In 2006, he was a founding member of the District 8 Committee Round Table, which brings neighborhood leaders together to work collectively on issues. Zito gained valuable insight into city issues by serving on the San Jose Planning Commission from 2002-10 and the San Jose 2040 General Plan Update Committee from 2015-16 and again since 2019.

He has served for the past 10 years on the Evergreen Elementary School District Board, where he displayed his ability to confront a potentially divisive issue. Zito instituted the Facilities Joint Use and Land Use committees to engage the school board and community in how to deal with continued projections of declining enrollment. The committees devised plans for how they could generate sustainable revenue for the district while also providing the best education for students.

Arenas has done a solid job on the City Council, helping win approval for the long-sought Eastridge light rail extension that will connect East San Jose to downtown and BART. She has largely fulfilled her campaign promise to make public safety her top priority. She continues her push to make the district’s streets and roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.

But Zito’s superior knowledge and problem-solving ability makes him the better choice as San Jose confronts the critical housing and traffic issues that will shape District 8 and the city’s future.

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