Sergio Lopez, 24

After the Great Recession devastated his parents’ home and small business, Sergio Lopez realized the policies that failed his family were written by politicians who never brought his community to the decision table. So he’s going to fight for his seat at the table to uplift the communities he sees ignored in his hometown.

Credit: Lam Nguyen

Name: Sergio Lopez
Running for: Campbell City Council
Age: 24

What was the best piece of advice you received before running for office?

To be in public service is really a gift. But anytime that you're on a campaign, the outcome is not guaranteed, so you want to run each campaign without leaving anything off the table. Some people think, “Oh, I shouldn't say this or I shouldn't say that, because it might be used against me—but once I get into the next position I'm running for, then I can do things that I really want.”

But in reality, none of that is ever guaranteed. So the best advice I've received is to just put it all on the table and not have any regrets when the campaign is over. Think about the reasons why you got in this and think about ways that you can serve that during the course of the campaign.

When did you realize you wanted to run for office? When did the lightbulb go off?

The easy answer is that last year, I found out that in my community there is an open district that was going to be unopposed. I have a really historic opportunity to represent my community and represent some voices that, frankly, haven't been represented within Campbell. 

The much longer answer is that I never grew up thinking in any way that I would be involved in politics. My family wasn't politically engaged in the kinds of ways that I am now. We didn't have that privilege when I was growing up. I came from an immigrant background. My parents both came here from Mexico, to the Campbell community, so that I could have the opportunities that they'd never had. 

Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer, do something creative, something with words. It wasn't until I started kindergarten in Campbell Public Schools that I learned the language. To use words and have an impact was almost a form of magic—that someone like me could be able to do that. 

But as I was getting ready to graduate middle school, my parents were thinking ahead four years, and wondering how they were going to pay for college. They really wanted all of us to have every educational opportunity that we wanted. So we decided as a family to open up a small business—a Mexican restaurant. That would be how they'd save money for the beginnings of a college fund. I would go and help out on summer weekends and after school. We were doing pretty well—but then during the Great Recession business dried up and we lost the restaurant. Then our house was foreclosed on, because we'd taken out a second mortgage to be able to get the restaurant. On top of it all, my dad was laid off from a job that he was working at the same time for the healthcare benefits. 

That experience just sent me reeling and trying to make sense of what had happened. Of course, in doing that, I did what I always had done, which was read and investigate. I realized that the reason my family was in that position was the result of policy choices made by real people, who had been elected. I didn't see voices like my family represented within that process. I didn't see the communities right here at the table for that process. 

I didn't know how, but I knew I had to figure out a way to get involved and to have a voice within that process. And just as important, work to bring others along with me, from all my communities, who might not have the same privileges that I would. So just around 10 years ago I got involved in politics and public service—and haven't looked back since. 

I wanted to have the experience of working at all levels and all parts of government. I did some work at the White House, on a presidential campaign, on statewide campaigns. But for me, where I saw myself being able to have the biggest impact is at the local level. That’s for a couple reasons. One is just having grown up here and been nurtured by this community, having that sense of togetherness is really important to me. I think that for any young person, disproportionately, you have a much bigger chance to have an impact in your own community, have a voice, and take leadership. So I've always been driven not by what title or position I can get, but given where I am at this point in time and constraints like age, where can I have the biggest impact? That to me has always been at the local level. Even though I didn't grow up thinking that this was something I would or could do, that experience going back 10 years has prepared me for this.

You mentioned you believe you can make a bigger impact on a local level, even after working at the statewide and federal. So what are the things that you want to tackle in your city that can only really be tackled at a city level and through local politics?

Ever since I got into this race I've talked about two things—addressing our housing crisis and supporting small business owners within Campbell. When I first started speaking out about these issues when the race began, I got told, “You're being too negative. You're going tp turn people off.” And I would say, “At some point, we're going to have a recession. We've got to make sure that we're doing everything at the local level to prepare ourselves.” 

Those two issues weren't poll-tested, they weren't focus group-tested. They came directly out of my experiences growing up and the issues that got me involved with politics in the first place. I saw that there was this need in the community, where these issues just weren't being addressed or talked about. Unfortunately, everything that's happened since has only reinforced the importance of those two points. So if anything, we just doubled and tripled down on that message. 

I've always been someone who is all about the policy and driven by what the facts and data say. And within the constraints of local government, you have the opportunity to really think creatively, because particularly in a smaller city like Campbell, you don't always have the budget to do things that larger cities or agencies can. But there's always an opportunity to creatively form partnerships, do the work, and be out in the community.

You’re only 24-years-old. Voters may look at you and doubt whether someone at your age has the experience necessary for this role. What experience do you think has best prepared you for city council? 

One thing that's really exciting is I think right now, folks in the community are looking for people with new fresh ideas. The strongest support I get is from folks who are a little bit older that are looking for that kind of bold new leadership. When I do encounter skepticism, I like talking about my record of public service and getting results going back over 10 years. Definitely no one else who's running can say that—not only the time, but actually working to pass big, bold, innovative policy solutions. 

One of the policy areas I spent the longest time working on is in the field of survivor's rights and originally campus survivors' rights. I was the National Organizing Director for Rise, a major advocacy nonprofit that works on this issue. Within California, I helped pass the Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights (AB 1312) in the 2018 session, and that was a landmark piece of legislation that created a basic bill of rights for survivors of sexual assault to help make the process of going through the criminal justice system just a little bit easier and fairer. 

In order to do that, we faced some real moments of opposition. It took working with our entire state delegation in the Bay Area when it looked like the bill was in danger, to build a broad coalition of local support to send letters out to the state legislators from people all across the political divide including leaders at the local level. That really shaped my experience in terms of how local leaders can really be advocates for their community in ways that go beyond just the bare minimum of showing up to the Tuesday’s City Council meetings and actually thinking creatively about what policies are missing, and what support do I need from other government bodies, whether that be at the county, state, or federal level. How can we actually go and be an advocate to put those policies in place and rally that support that will better serve my community?

“Those two issues weren't poll-tested, they weren't focus group-tested. They came directly out of my experiences growing up and the issues that got me involved with politics in the first place.”

Credit: Lam Nguyen

What does running as a young candidate look like? What advantages and disadvantages do you feel you have coming into this race?

The most common response that I get is really excitement that I'm doing this. When people see that I have lived in this community and grown up here, people see someone who understands the city that they're looking to serve. I have the added benefit of coming in with bold new ideas, but also with an understanding of how to make things happen and how to get things done.

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If you really want to serve your community, then start doing that now. If you're campaigning, don't just wait until you win the election.”

Credit: Lam Nguyen

Then there are people for whom that's not what they're looking for and that is within their right. At some point for that smaller group I might not win them over, but if I'm elected, I need to know how to serve that community as well to make sure that I'm meeting the needs of all my constituents.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to another young Dem who is considering a run for office?

If you really want to serve your community, then start doing that now. If you're campaigning, don't just wait until you win the election. Work on the things that you think your community needs. Find ways to engage them and enact those issues now. That might mean rallying support for a particular policy that you want to get passed, or it might mean writing op eds, advocating for something that you think needs to happen, organizing a fundraising drive or some kind of initiative to serve your community. Whatever issues you care about, there are ways that you can work on those now. That not only is the best kind of campaign you can run but it also ultimately is serving the needs of your community. That should be the reason why you're running.

The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.