San Jose mayor, a frequent Newsom critic, jumps into the California governor's race

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Thursday announced he's joining the crowded race for California governor, casting himself as a moderate Democrat with a track record of tackling some of the state's most persistent issues including homelessness and crime.

Elected to lead Silicon Valley's largest city in 2022, Mahan said his policies have reduced the number of unsheltered homeless in the city, cut fees to speed up housing construction and helped police solve more homicides.

Mahan joins a large and unsettled field of contenders hoping to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Months ahead of the June primary, no Democrat has emerged as a clear frontrunner. The race includes former Biden administration Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former U.S. House member Katie Porter, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, among others. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton have also announced their bids.

Mahan has emerged as a frequent critic of Newsom. He lambasted Newsom over his handling of homelessness and bucked him in 2024 by backing a tough-on-crime ballot measure to increase penalties for some shoplifting and drug offenses. Mahan also criticized Newsom's focus on President Donald Trump and the governor's social media trolling in an op-ed last year.

Mahan vowed to be a fighter for California values and “a fixer” who could deliver results.

“As mayor of a big city, I’m closer to the challenges we face and the solutions we need than anyone else in this race,” Mahan said in a phone interview Thursday. “Cities are on the front lines of solving problems for people in their everyday lives.”

Newsom, who's seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, is termed out after this year and cannot run for reelection. Other Democratic heavyweights, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Rob Bonta, decided not to run.

Asked about Mahan's candidacy at an event in San Francisco, Newsom said he doesn't know the mayor well, adding, “I wish him good luck."

Mahan, a 43-year-old Harvard graduate, has deep ties with the tech industry. He was a tech entrepreneur before he ran for public offices, co-founding a digital political organizing platform called Brigade. He was classmates with Mark Zuckerberg, who Mahan said persuaded him to go into tech instead of law school. Some tech and business leaders, including billionaire Rick Caruso, venture capitalist Garry Tan and angel investor Matt Brezina, already signaled they would support Mahan's bid.

Mahan in recent months also hosted a number of gubernatorial candidates in San Jose, but said no one has impressed him. Mahan was first elected as a city councilmember in 2020 before he won the mayoral election in 2022 against a labor-backed candidate.

He often joins weekend clean-up efforts along San Jose waterways and city parks. Last year, over opposition from county officials, he successfully pushed a provision to make homeless people eligible for arrest if they reject three offers of shelters.

FILE - San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan speaks in Sacramento Calif., March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced a new agreement Friday with the country's central government intended to stabilize a ceasefire that ended weeks of fighting and to lay out the steps toward integration between the two sides.

Under the agreement, the SDF said, security forces affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior would go into the cities of al-Hassakeh and Qamishli in the Kurdish heartland, which they had previously been barred from entering, and the process of integrating SDF and government forces would begin.

This would include formation of a new military brigade comprising three brigades from the SDF, in addition to the formation of a brigade of SDF fighters within a government brigade in Aleppo province.

Local institutions in the Kurdish-led government of northeast Syria — which has operated as a de facto autonomous zone for years — and their employees would be integrated into state institutions.

The agreement also includes “civil and educational rights for the Kurdish people, and guaranteeing the return of the displaced to their areas,” the statement said.

“The agreement aims to unify the Syrian territories and achieve the full integration process in the region by enhancing cooperation between the concerned parties and unifying efforts to rebuild the country,” it said.

There was no immediate statement from Damascus, but Syrian state TV cited an unnamed official confirming the agreement.

The SDF lost most of its territory in northeast Syria to a government offensive after intense clashes erupted in the northern city of Aleppo on Jan. 6, following months of failed negotiations to implement an integration deal.

Syria’s new leaders, since toppling former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, have struggled to assert their full authority over the country torn by nearly 14 years of civil war. An agreement was reached in March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it didn’t gain traction.

Meanwhile the U.S., which had long been the main backer of the SDF as the group fought against Islamic State militants, has moved closer to Damascus under new interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The U.S. did not intervene military in this month's fighting but pushed the two sides to make a deal.

A truce was reached last week between the two sides and has been largely holding. Friday's announcement appears to be a step toward solidifying the ceasefire.

People cross a damaged bridge over the Euphrates River in Raqqa, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Soldiers carry coffins during the funeral of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters killed earlier this month during clashes with Syrian government forces, in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)