Rishi Kumar won the California Special Election on November 4 to advance to the December 1 final (voting ends on December 30).
Kumar is an Indian-American, former Saratoga city councillor, software technology executive, and author of an AI book. He will face an African-American female city councillor in Los Altos in the final.
On November 2, the Chinese mayor of Cupertino, Liang Fang Chao, published an article on the San Jose Spotlight news network suggesting that Kumar is the right candidate. Cupertino is the tech hub of Silicon Valley and home to the headquarters of prominent tech giants such as Apple. Liang Chao has a computer doctorate from Princeton University and has served on the city council for seven years. She strongly opposed Santa Clara County’s Proposal A to raise sales tax, which was voted on November 4. Here are the highlights of her 11/2 article:
In politics, often the candidates with the highest name recognition are statistically the most likely to win. Massive media exposure tends to drive that momentum – and Kumar is obviously on the verge. His media exposure far outweighs his opponents combined.
The appraiser campaign isn’t about who holds what kind of real estate license or certificate. Larry Stone (the outgoing appraiser) didn’t have a certificate when he was elected in 1992, and the next appraiser will have a year to get a certificate like him. The campaign is about leadership, accountability, and the courage to challenge the status quo.
Rich’s message of fiscal reform and accountability resonated. As chairman of the campaign against Measure A, he has been a visible and consistent voice in county politics—appearing in nearly 25 TV and newspaper reports explaining why uncontrolled spending and mismanagement cannot be addressed with another tax increase, in response to voters fed up with waste and inflation.
While other candidates are roughly talking about modernizing an outdated office, Kumar is the only person with practical experience applying automation to reduce inefficiencies, resolve stuck property complaints, and modernize manual assessments. Doing so requires proven executive experience—not on-the-job training with only one year of experience, as several candidates claim.
Unlike other opponents who emphasize government terms and real estate licenses, Rich brings something more rare in local politics—executive leadership. As a CFO and software C-level executive, he has managed large teams, overseen complex budgets, cut costs, and led modernization efforts in the private and public sectors.
At the Cupertino Candidates Forum, Kumar pledged to cut $10 million from the departmental budget over five years. One of his iconic ideas was to automate property revaluation during market downturns, returning money to homeowners when value drops – a direct, people-centric innovation that reflects his pragmatic, tech-driven mindset.
During his two terms in Saratoga City Council, Kumar received the highest number of votes in the city’s 70-year history – a reflection of his independence and record of standing up for residents. He took on powerful companies – from San Jose Waters to PG&E – to oppose rate hikes, showing the perseverance and integrity taxpayers deserve from their valuers.
Experience matters – but the right executive leadership matters more. Ultimately, this election is about who can bring fresh vitality, innovation and effective management to the Valuer’s Office. Richie Kumar has the vision and track record to deliver measurable results for the people of Santa Clara County.
