Multi-story residential buildings along a street in downtown Redwood City

The Valley’s Socialists Grow by Nearly 40% and Put Their Doors-and-Phones Muscle Behind Rent Control and a Billionaire Tax

, , , ,

·

Editor-in-Chief

·

Top image: Residential buildings in downtown Redwood City. Photo: Jeanjung212 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

In a region built on venture capital, the fastest-growing political organization of the 2026 cycle may be one that wants to tax it. Silicon Valley DSA, the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America covering Santa Clara County and parts of the Peninsula, has grown its membership by nearly 40% over the past year to more than 800 people, chapter representatives told San José Spotlight.

With less than two weeks until the Nov. 3 election, the chapter has concentrated its door knocking, phone banking and voter outreach on two measures: Redwood City’s Measure E, which would rewrite the city’s rent and eviction rules, and Proposition 40, the statewide proposal for a one-time wealth tax on California billionaires, according to the report.

Why it is growing

Representatives told San José Spotlight that just a few years ago the chapter, founded in 2017, struggled with high attrition and little visible presence. They attributed the recent surge to the same forces driving the national movement: anger over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, the cost of living and doubts that mainstream Democrats will respond adequately. New members cited New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member, as an inspiration.

“People are past sick and tired of the status quo,” Jasmine Leyva, who chairs the chapter’s communications committee, told the outlet. “They’re looking for action that they can participate in, action that is directly reflected in their communities.”

This year, members rallied against a planned federal immigration facility near Gilroy and spoke at public meetings against automated license plate reader cameras, the outlet reported. San José Spotlight also reported that DSA volunteers helped pass Measure A, the countywide sales tax increase for the county health system, last November.

The two targets

Measure E would replace Redwood City’s current tenant protection ordinance with new rent control and eviction rules, according to the city’s measures page and Ballotpedia’s summary. Ballotpedia describes caps on rent increases for older multifamily buildings, expanded coverage to more rental types and higher relocation assistance for no-fault evictions. It needs a simple majority. Readers should consult the city’s official materials for the precise terms.

Prop. 40 has already become a test of Silicon Valley’s relationships with Sacramento, as the South Bay Chronicle reported last week, after Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Prop. 42, a Sergey Brin-funded countermeasure that would cancel it out.

The chapter has not endorsed candidates this cycle, but it has released a voter guide whose recommendations typically favor labor-aligned candidates, San José Spotlight reported.

Small, but not irrelevant

The numbers argue for perspective. Even at 800 members, the chapter is a tiny fraction of the roughly 1 million registered voters in Santa Clara County, about half of them Democrats, the outlet noted. The San Francisco and East Bay chapters are larger, and South Bay voters have tended to favor centrist Democrats.

Bill James, chair of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, called the growth “a positive development.” “The DSA has been a very useful force in changing the conversation among California Democrats and nationally around a great number of issues, including healthcare for all,” he told San José Spotlight.

Co-chair Jessen Fox predicted further growth. “San Jose has all the ingredients to bake that cake,” he said.

The long view

Organizations like this one rarely win on member counts. They win on turnout in low-attention contests, and Measure E is that kind of race: a single city, a technical housing question and a small electorate where a few hundred committed volunteers can matter. The more consequential signal is strategic. The Valley’s organized left is choosing fights over housing costs and concentrated wealth. On affordability, at least, public alarm runs well beyond the socialist base, as Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s 2026 poll showed. Whether DSA can turn that frustration into votes in Redwood City on Nov. 3 will say more about its future in the Valley than any membership figure.

Sources

Leave a Reply