Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez lands new job leading New Mexico county

After several decades in Silicon Valley politics, it looks like Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez will be leaving the Bay Area for a new job leading Bernalillo County in New Mexico.

The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners approved Chavez’s hiring as the next county manager in a 3-2 vote on Tuesday evening. Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, is the most populated county in New Mexico with more than 672,000 residents.

Chavez, who still needs to accept the offer and pass a background check, terms out of the Board of Supervisors at the end of the year. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

Vice Chair Eric Olivas said at the meeting that he was drawn to Chavez because she has “shown incredible leadership” in San Jose and Santa Clara County.

“I really believe that Cindy Chavez possess the skill and the knowhow to be a truly transformative leader in our community, somebody that can take us to the next level and do incredible things here building on the work of our current county manager,” he said.

Chavez, who is originally from New Mexico, has been a household name in Silicon Valley politics for decades. In 1998, she was elected to the San Jose City Council and re-elected again in 2002. Several years after her failed 2006 mayoral bid in San Jose, she became the head of the South Bay Labor Council, and later the executive director of labor think tank Working Partnerships USA.

In 2013, Chavez won a special election for the District 2 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors where she’s represented parts of downtown and east San Jose.

Chavez was previously up for San Diego County’s chief administrative officer job.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.