{{Infobox organization | name = San Jose Chamber of Commerce | logo = San Jose Chamber of Commerce logo.svg | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | abbreviation = SJCC | former_name = {{unbulleted list|Santa Clara Valley Board of Trade (1886–1899)|Santa Clara Valley Improvement Association (1900)|Association of Metropolitan San Jose (1968–1970)|San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (1988–1996)|San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce (1997–2016)|Silicon Valley Organization (2017–2021)}} | established = {{start date and age|1886}} | founder = | type = [[Chamber of commerce]] | status = | purpose = Business & Economic Development and advocacy | headquarters = 101 W Santa Clara Street | location = [[San Jose, California]], [[United States]] | coordinates = {{coord|37|20|6|N|121|53|30|W|display=inline,title}} | region_served = [[Silicon Valley]] | membership = Over 1,000 | num_members_year = 2021<ref name="Spotlight Alaban">{{cite news |first=Lloyd|last=Alaban|title=SVO rebrands to San Jose Chamber of Commerce |work=[[San José Spotlight]]|date=August 26, 2021|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/svo-rebrands-to-san-jose-chamber-of-commerce/}}</ref> | leader_title = Chairman of the Board | leader_name = Ed Davis | leader_title2 = Vice Chairman of the Board (Chair-Elect) | leader_name2 = Roger Reedy | leader_title3 = President & CEO | leader_name3 = Leah Toeniskoetter | board_of_directors = 48 directors | budget = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | expenses = | expenses_year = | endowment = | endowment_year = | num_staff = 5 | num_staff_year = | awards = | website = {{URL|https://www.sjchamber.com/}} }}
The '''San Jose Chamber of Commerce''' is a [[chamber of commerce]] representing business interests in the Greater [[San Jose, California]] Area. It is the largest chamber of commerce in the [[Silicon Valley]] region.<ref>{{cite news|title=Largest business advocacy groups in Silicon Valley|work=[[Silicon Valley Business Journal]]|location=San Jose, California|date=June 7, 2019|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/subscriber-only/2019/06/07/largest-business-advocacy-groups-in.html}}</ref> Founded in 1886, the chamber has played a role in the development of the local economy and politics.{{sfn|Wolpern|2013}}
== History == ===19th century=== The San Jose Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1886 as the '''[[Santa Clara Valley]] Board of Trade'''. In 1900, it briefly became the '''Santa Clara Valley Improvement Association''' before changing its name to the San Jose Chamber of Commerce the following year.<ref name="New look">{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2017 |title=The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Unveils New Look and Structure |url=https://www.thesvo.com/blog/the-san-jose-silicon-valley-chamber-of-commerce-unveils-new-look-and-structure |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427232107/https://www.thesvo.com/blog/the-san-jose-silicon-valley-chamber-of-commerce-unveils-new-look-and-structure |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |publisher=Silicon Valley Organization |language=en-US}}</ref>
===20th century=== [[File:San Jose Must Have An Airport - 1929.jpeg|thumb|left|The San Jose Chamber of Commerce sponsored a float in the 1929 [[Fiesta de las Rosas]] parade to promote the construction of an airport.]] In 1910, the chamber formed the Commission Government League to promote reforms to the San Jose city charter. Along with other upper- and middle-class [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] groups, the league forced a ballot initiative on replacing the city's [[political machine]], which was dependent on working class voters, with a [[city commission government]], modeled on that of [[Galveston, Texas]], that they saw as less corrupt and more efficient. In 1914, the reform groups gained a majority of seats on the city council and appointed a commission to study charter reforms. It was dominated by the chamber and Merchant's Association and headed by Professor [[Thomas H. Reed]] of the [[University of California, Berkeley]], who eschewed the city commission plan in favor of a [[council–manager government]] modeled on that of [[Dayton, Ohio]].{{sfn|Wolpern|2013|p=61–62}}{{sfn|Trounstine|Christensen|1982|p=4}}
In 1929, the chamber raised $480,000 in donations by [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]] residents to acquire a {{convert|1000|acre|adj=on}} parcel of the [[Rancho Posolmi|Yñigo Ranch]] on the [[San Francisco Bay]] and sold it for a nominal price to the U.S. Navy to serve as an airbase for the [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|USS ''Macon'']] airship and later [[Moffett Federal Airfield]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael G.|last=McDonell|title=NAS Moffett Field ...a long way from Macon|work=Naval Aviation News|publisher=[[Chief of Naval Operations]] and the [[Naval Air Systems Command]]|location=Arlington, Virginia|date=March 1971|volume=52|page=36}}</ref> In 1939, [[Ernie Renzel]], a wholesale grocer and future mayor of San Jose, led the chamber's Citizens Central Airport Committee and personally negotiated the purchase of {{convert|483|acre}} of the Stockton Ranch from the Crocker family to be the site of [[San Jose International Airport|San Jose's municipal airport]]. Renzel led an effort to pass a bond measure to pay for the land in 1940, overcoming reluctance by fiscally conservative city councilmembers and City Manager [[C. B. Goodwin]].{{sfn|Wolpern|2013|p=96}}<ref>[http://www.sanjoseculture.org/pub_art/documents/SJA-MasterPlan.pdf Proposed Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport Public Art Master Plan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130132305/http://www.sanjoseculture.org/pub_art/documents/SJA-MasterPlan.pdf |date=January 30, 2005 }}, Rome Group and City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, November 16, 2004.</ref><ref>[http://www.sjc.org/AirportReport/Jan04/AR_content.html Airport Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040208033304/http://www.sjc.org/AirportReport/Jan04/AR_content.html |date=February 8, 2004 }}, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, 2(8), January 2004</ref>
In 1944, and again from 1950 to 1965, the chamber partnered with the city and county and spent more than ${{format price|1000000}} on aggressive national advertising campaigns, including advertisements in ''[[The New York Times]]'', to attract major manufacturers to the Santa Clara Valley.{{sfn|Wolpern|2013|pp=100–101}}{{sfn|Trounstine|Christensen|1982|pp=7, 10}} In the 1960s, the chamber supported City Manager [[A. P. Hamann|A. P. "Dutch" Hamann]]'s city expansion plans and the bond measures to fund them.{{sfn|Trounstine|Christensen|1982|p=12}}
The chamber was known as the '''Association of Metropolitan San Jose''' from 1968 until reverting to its previous name in 1971.<ref name="New look" /> In the late 1960s, the original ''[[Migrant Mother]]'' photograph by [[Dorothea Lange]] was found in a dumpster at the chamber's headquarters, along with 31 other unretouched, vintage photos by the photographer.<ref>{{cite news|title=Face of hard times has a big payday|first=Cynthia|last=Neff|work=[[The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)|The Tribune]]|location=San Luis Obispo, California|date=October 20, 2005}}</ref>
By the 1980s, the area's chambers of commerce had diminished in political influence, and the [[Santa Clara County Manufacturers Group]] became the dominant political special interest group in the area.{{sfn|Wolpern|2013|pp=170–171}} In 1988, the chamber changed its name to the '''San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce'''. In 1997, it took the name '''San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce'''.<ref name="New look" />
===21st century=== In 2017, the chamber rebranded as the '''Silicon Valley Organization''' (SVO) to appeal to businesses and government officials associated with [[Silicon Valley]].<ref name="Spotlight Alaban" /><ref name="New look" /> Despite its new name, the organization largely continued to focus on businesses in San Jose. In 2019, the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce, located in neighboring [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]], responded by rebranding itself as the [[Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Report: Rebranded Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce is already unpopular with its neighbors|first=Luke|last=Stangel|work=Silicon Valley Business Journal|location=San Jose, California|date=July 5, 2019|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2019/07/05/santa-clara-chamber-of-commerce-rebrand.html}}</ref>
On August 26, 2021, the SVO reverted to its longstanding name, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, to emphasize its support for small- and medium-sized businesses and distance itself from controversial political advertising by [[#Political action committee|its former political action committee]].<ref name="Spotlight Alaban" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Will resurrecting the San Jose Chamber of Commerce name also revive its image?|first=Sal|last=Pizarro|work=The Mercury News|location=San Jose, California|date=August 28, 2021|access-date=August 28, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/28/will-resurrecting-the-san-jose-chamber-of-commerce-name-also-revive-its-image/}}</ref>
== Politics == As a business advocacy organization, the chamber consistently supports a pro-business political agenda. It supports [[immigration reform]]<ref name="Fly">{{cite news|title=Chamber CEO Matt Mahood Joins Republican Exodus over Trump|work=[[San Jose Inside]]|date=August 31, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2021|url=https://www.sanjoseinside.com/the-fly/chamber-ceo-matt-mahood-joins-republican-exodus-over-trump/}}</ref> and opposes [[smart growth]] zoning changes that are favored by housing advocates.<ref name="Spotlight Vera">{{cite news|title=San Jose councilmember denounces 'racist' message from backer targeting her opponent|first=Vicente|last=Vera|work=San José Spotlight|date=October 27, 2020|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-councilmember-denounces-racist-message-from-backer-targeting-her-opponent/}}</ref>
=== Political action committee === The Silicon Valley Organization formerly operated a [[political action committee]]. The SVO PAC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to support business-friendly candidates in each [[San Jose City Council]] election, often in opposition to candidates supported by the [[South Bay Labor Council]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Silicon Valley Organization's PAC dissolved in fallout from racist attack ad|first=Maggie|last=Angst|work=[[The Mercury News]]|location=San Jose, California|date=November 2, 2020|access-date=August 28, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/02/silicon-valley-organizations-pac-dissolved-in-fallout-from-racist-attack-ad/}}</ref>
The SVO PAC was repeatedly criticized for [[Racial stereotyping in advertising|racial stereotyping in its advertising]], including darkened photographs of Latino councilmembers [[Sergio Jimenez (politician)|Sergio Jimenez]] in 2016 and [[Sylvia Arenas]] in 2021, as well as for misleadingly doctoring a photograph of another candidate in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|title=San Jose lawmakers denounce SVO's altered photo of Sylvia Arenas|first1=Ramona|last1=Giwargis|first2=Nadia|last2=Lopez|work=San José Spotlight|date=February 7, 2020|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-lawmakers-denounce-svos-altered-photo-of-sylvia-arenas/}}</ref>
In October 2020, the SVO PAC published a controversial webpage against Jake Tonkel's campaign to unseat Councilmember [[Dev Davis]]. It featured a photo of Black rioters in [[South Africa]] and alleged that Tonkel supported [[Defund the police|defunding]] the [[San Jose Police Department]].<ref name="Spotlight Vera" /> A number of prominent for-profit and non-profit member organizations, including 36% of the SVO's board of directors, left the SVO, criticizing it for a pattern of racist advertising. Under pressure from member organizations, President and CEO Matt Mahood issued an apology and resigned, and the SVO PAC was dissolved in November 2020.<ref name="Spotlight Wolfe">{{cite news|title=San Jose Chamber of Commerce is diversifying—slowly|first=Eli|last=Wolfe|work=San José Spotlight|date=September 10, 2021|access-date=September 13, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-chamber-of-commerce-svo-diversity/}}</ref><ref name="Spotlight Wipf">{{cite news|title=Silicon Valley Organization CEO resigns as nonprofits line up to cut ties|first=Carly|last=Wipf|work=San José Spotlight|date=October 29, 2020|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/nonprofits-cut-ties-with-silicon-valley-organization-after-racist-attack-ad-is-released/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Silicon Valley Organization kills its political action committee|first=Carly|last=Wipf|work=San José Spotlight|date=November 2, 2020|access-date=August 27, 2021|url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/the-silicon-valley-organization-kills-its-political-action-committee/}}</ref>
== Leadership == The San Jose Chamber of Commerce is led by a chairman of the board, the organization’s highest-ranking official and leader of the executive committee and board. The role has been held by many notable leaders from the San Jose and Silicon Valley business community:<ref name="Fly" />
* Ed Davis, 2026 * Robert S. Lindo, 2025 * Nicholas E. Adams, 2024 * Dee Ann Harn, 2023 (hired Toeniskoetter as ceo) * Tony Mirenda, 2022 * Glenn Perkins, 2021 (hired Seaver as ceo) * Michael Bangs, 2020 * Lennies Gutierrez, 2019 * Dan Bozzuto, 2017 * Jim Lynch, 2016 * Sean Cottle, 2015 * Michelle Peacock, 2014 * Grace Davis, 2013 * Brian Baer, 2012 * Sunny Clagget, 2011 (hired Mahood as ceo) * Gerry De Young, 2010 * Michael Busselen, 2009 * Bill Klein, 2008 * Nanci Williams, 2007 * Terry Austen, 2006 * Bill Baron, 2005 (hired Dando as ceo) * Richard Roth, 2004 * Mike Fox Jr., 2003 * Phil Dirickson, 2002 * Mark Walker, 2001 * Jim Eller, 2000 * Mark Waxman, 1999 * Cindy Lazares, 1998 * Tommy Fulcher, 1997 * Armon Mills, 1996 * Michael Fox Sr., 1995 * Donald Callahan, 1994 * Robert Kieve, 1993 * John Kennett, 1992 * Brooks Mancini, 1991 * Chuck Reed, 1990 (hired Tedesco as ceo) * Ervie Smith, 1989–1990 (first female chair elected by the board) * Carl Cookson, 1987–1988 * Phil Sims, 1986–1987 * John Black, 1985–1986 * Jay Weinhardt, 1984–1985 * Drew Gibson, 1983–1984 * Dean Bartee, 1982–1983 * Don Allen, 1981–1982 * Dixon Howell, 1980–1981
The San Jose Chamber of Commerce has had 12 chief executive officers, hired by and serving at the pleasure of the board, in its history:<ref name="Fly" />
* D.B. Moody, 1886–1919 * Roscoe Wyatt, 1919–1944 * Russ Pettit, 1944–1964 * Fred Burtner, 1964–1969 * Sandy Webber, 1969–1974 * [[Ron James (mayor)|Ron James]], 1974–1990 * Steve Tedesco, 1990–2000 * [[Jim Cunneen]], 2000–2005 * Pat Dando, 2005–2011 * Matt Mahood, 2011–2020 * [[Derrick Seaver]], 2020–2023 * Leah Toeniskoetter, 2024–present
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
== Further reading == * {{cite book|title=Flashback: A Short Political History of San Jose|first1=Philip J.|last1=Trounstine|first2=Terry|last2=Christensen|date=1982|url=https://www.sjsu.edu/polisci/docs/faculty-cv/SJ%20History%20to%201970.pdf}} * {{cite thesis|title=Suburban Reformers: Progressive Reform Movements and the Making of Silicon Valley, 1880–1980|type=PhD|first=Steven F.|last=Wolpern|publisher=[[Pennsylvania State University]]|date=May 2013|url=https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/8382}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.sjchamber.com/}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Chambers of commerce in California]] [[Category:Organizations based in San Jose, California]] [[Category:Organizations established in 1886]] [[Category:1886 establishments in California]] [[Category:Politics of San Jose, California]]