On Nov. 5, 2024, Milpitas will elect On Nov. 5, 2024, Milpitas will elect a new mayor. However, some citizens may still not know much about the candidates. The Union sat down with the three of the mayor candidates.
Hon Lien, a current council member, was a business owner who managed four companies from 1987 to 2007. She worked as a food importer and deliv- ered foods to countries such as France and Thailand before her political career, Lien said.
Lien wants to ensure that Mil- pitas collaborates with neighboring cit- ies and to hold agencies, such as VTA and Homekey, accountable for their actions, she said. If elected, she also plans to se- cure funds and repair streets, she said.
Regarding accountability for agencies, Lien mentioned Homekey, a state program addressing homelessness. Specifically, their Hillview Court apartments in Milpitas, which houses homeless individuals, has a high-crime site, Lien said.
“That has created a lot of problems, and we have a lot of police calls,” Lien said. “You would hear that people there (are) using drugs, overdose, and die.”
Companies and the state government should fix their own challenges and hon- or responsibilities shared with Milpitas to slow problems in the community, Lien says.
Lien said she supports Measure J, a bill that would continue the one-fourth of acent tax on sales, according to the City of Milpitas’ website.
“I would like community members to support the city of Milpitas,” Lien said. “Because that (Measure J) will create $7 million per year for us to support police, fire, fixing the streets, and everything else.”
Carmen Montano, the current mayor of Milpitas, is an alumnus from Milpitas High School who graduated in 1973 and is the co-founder of Sunnyhills Neigh-borhood Association (SNA), Montano said. She has served on the school board, on the city council, and then as mayor, she said. She is currently seeking a second mayoral term, according to Monta- no.
Montano has goals to beautify Milpitas while in office. She claims that she wants to focus on revitalizing Main Street and attracting high-tech busi- nesses, Montano said. Main Street has been neglected for the past thirty to for- ty years, she added.
“I want to make it a destination place, like an entertainment center – an entertainment district,” Montano said. “There are certain areas that need to be spruced up, (…) especially the entrance areas into our city. Because when people come into our city, you want them to see a nice, clean city. Because that’s first im- pressions; that also attracts businesses, too.”
With a cleaner city environ- ment and an entertainment district, many high tech companies would take an interest in Milpitas, according to Montano. This would open up more job opportunities and will help strengthen our economy, she said.
Voltaire Montemayor, a retired geolo- gist and engineer, is an avid attendee at Saint John the Baptist Church, accord- ing to him during the 2024 mayoral fo- rum.
Montemayor aims to apply his past knowledge as a geologist to help the community by watching out for threats – such as fires, water shortages, flooding, crime and earthquakes – and support the students and faculty at Milpitas High School (MHS) so that they can thrive and succeed, according to him in an in- terview.
He wants to ensure that noth-ing harmful will happen to anyone while in office, Montemayor said. In addition, he wants wellness checks for the citizens so that everyone can live a good lifestyle, he said.
“We need psychology provid- ed for children, also even the parents,” Montemayor said. “We don’t want any rebellious thinking of anybody; we should always love, love your neighbor, love everybody. No discrimination.” The Union contacted Anthony Phan on multiple occasions, but we were unable to interview him.