Matt Mahan for Governor: California’s Last Chance?

Matt Mahan just announced his run for Governor—and this could be the moment California’s “boom loop” finally begins. The San Jose mayor who actually built 1,000 shelter beds and cut unsheltered homelessness 23% now wants to bring that results-first approach statewide.

Archived tweet

If Matt Mahan wins governor of California, suddenly the boom loop begins statewide. He is a fighter, a hard worker, someone who built 1000 shelter beds in San Jose and got homeless into treatment. Competence and service, not clout chasing culture war. It is what CA needs. https://t.co/vDTlOqULSd

Garry Tan @garrytan January 30, 2026

Competence and service over clout chasing culture war. That’s the pitch—and the track record backs it up.

The Mahan Model: Build First, Then Enforce

San Jose’s unsheltered population dropped 23% from over 5,100 in 2019 to under 4,000 in 2025, according to The Voice SF. How? By actually building capacity first. Mahan delivered 1,000+ interim housing beds at roughly $18,000 per bed per year—a fraction of what permanent housing costs.

But here’s where it gets controversial—and effective. Mahan’s approach includes accountability: offer housing, and if people refuse, enforce laws against encampments. KQED reported that Mahan proposed arresting homeless individuals who refuse shelter after being offered housing. It’s paired with “historic investments” in expanding interim housing—you can’t enforce what you haven’t offered.

The uncomfortable reality? One-third of homeless people offered brand new apartments with en-suite bathrooms refused to come indoors. That’s the complexity California has refused to grapple with. Mahan’s goal is “functional zero” unsheltered homelessness—not by pretending the problem away, but by building first and holding everyone accountable.

Sacramento Is Blocking Solutions

This is where it gets infuriating. Mayors like Mahan can build shelter beds and enforce laws, but Sacramento keeps blocking real solutions.

Newsom vetoed a sober living bill that the legislature actually passed—a bipartisan, commonsense measure to help people transition off the streets. The state still hasn’t implemented opioid settlement funds meant to get people into treatment. According to Mahan’s op-ed in the SF Standard, “California has seen nearly as many people die on our streets in the last 12 years as the nation lost in the Vietnam War.”

Let that sink in.

California has spent billions on homelessness—and the problem has gotten worse. CNN reported that 84% of Californians consider homelessness a “very serious problem.” They’re right. The money is being lit on fire while people die.

Mahan has called for mayors of all parties to unite and push Sacramento for real reform. He’s not running on vibes—he’s running on a record of results and a diagnosis of exactly what’s broken at the state level.

I’ve been calling Mahan “the truth” since late 2025 and pushing for his gubernatorial run. Now it’s official. Whether California is ready for a mayor who actually got results—and the “competence and service, not clout chasing culture war” approach—remains to be seen.

Follow @garrytan for more.