San Jose city officials have narrowed the applicant field to temporarily fill the vacant District 3 City Council seat by selecting five candidates to advance to panel interviews.

The City Council will interview land-use consultant Bob Staedler, engineer Carl Salas, Caltrain government affairs officer Baltazar Lopez, retired policy director Danielle Christian and San Jose State Director of DEI Partnerships Jahmal Williams on Jan. 28 with the winning applicant potentially taking the helm on Feb. 2.

While identifying priorities, such as passing the budget and addressing constituent services for the area encompassing most of downtown, Staedler said whoever takes the interim role would also need to work with those vying to fill the seat through the special election to ensure the district’s success.

“I’m for all of District 3, so I’d want to talk to the final two and help them be prepared,” said Staedler, who previously worked for the Redevelopment Agency and said his wide breadth of experience made him the best candidate. “We just have to be fair and make sure the person that comes in doesn’t have a huge learning curve.”

The City Council opted to fill the vacant seat through an interim appointment and special election after disgraced former councilmember Omar Torres resigned before his November arrest on child molestation charges.

The special election, which will feature seven candidates on the ballot, will take place on April 8, but unless one candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two highest vote-getters will advance to a runoff.

With the prospect of not having an elected official in place until the summer, the Council wanted to ensure that the district had representation in the meantime.

Eleven District 3 residents initially submitted applications for the interim appointment. Each councilmember was then asked to provide a list of five candidates they would like to interview at the Jan. 28 meeting.

The candidate lists submitted by each councilmember is not subject to public records disclosure.

Former City Councilmember and assistant district attorney David Pandori was among the notable names removed from consideration despite receiving several letters of support from neighborhood leaders in the district.

In an interview with The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan said that Pandori and Salas were two of the names that jumped out to him as good fits to fill the position but would keep an open mind.

Salas, who co-founded his successful engineering firm, has told the City Council that he views the interim appointment as a caretaker role that needs someone with the strongest qualifications.

“My most compelling overall interest comes from living, working, and raising my family in District 3 over a continuous 50 years,” Salas wrote in his application. “… I believe that I am uniquely qualified to represent the many diverse interests of District 3. While I know that I can’t be everything to everyone in a few months, I have the time, energy, experience, and passion, as well as a broad network of relationships, to make meaningful progress so that I can hand off a stable and stronger District to the duly elected councilperson.”

Williams, who previously worked as a clinical social worker before joining San Jose State, said his interest in the position boils down to his deep commitment to the district.

“As a 10-year resident who lives, works, and spends much of my life in D3, I understand the importance of stability during times of turmoil and abrupt disruption,” Williams said. “My passion for D3’s neighborhoods, residents, and businesses drives me to bring a steady, genuine, and experienced presence to the council. I want to ensure that the district where my wife and I are raising our two young daughters takes into account the lives of children and families during this transitional period.”

He identified preparing downtown for the 2026 sports events and solving housing affordability and homelessness issues among the biggest challenges in District 3.

Before working at Caltrain, Lopez was a senior field representative for former Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and a policy advisor for former Supervisor Ken Yeager and Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco, giving him a front seat to viewing San Jose’s issues and how government works.

“I’ve grown up in San Jose and know the issues of District 3,” Lopez said in his application. After over a decade of public service through multiple capacities at different levels of government, I believe I can bring much value to the interim Council seat. The individual serving this short period does not have the time to learn on the job.”

Christian recently retired after serving as deputy policy director for Supervisor Joe Simitian and has more than 30 years of local government experience.

She said she wanted to provide a voice for the district, which had also been plagued with “distrust and uncertainty.”

“District 3 residents deserve to have someone who will provide them a voice on issues in front of the City Council to ensure that their needs are addressed and Council decisions made are in the best interest of those who live in District 3 and throughout San José,” Christian said as to why she was interested in the position. “I also want to provide responsive and exceptional customer service to District 3 constituents who have questions or issues relating to City services. Lastly, I want to restore the community’s trust in local government by being responsive to their concerns and participating in neighborhood events and activities.”