Congressional candidate Sam Liccardo criticized by San Jose firefighters union for time as mayor

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Members of a San Jose firefighters union said they're speaking out against former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo -- who's now running for Congress.

The members say his work as mayor made the city less safe.

"We're down 500 cops. He laid off 49 firefighters. We're struggling to do our job. And these are the repercussions from his actions and his policy," said Jerry May, president of San Jose Local Firefighters 230.

Liccardo, who attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new San Jose fire station Thursday, responded to the firefighters' claims at the event.

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"It's important for folks to get the facts and not to have this revisionist history created by political players," Liccardo said.

The former mayor pointed to data indicating that the police force grew by over 200 officers during his tenure and that he left the city with one of the lowest crime rates among major U.S. cities.

"Certainly, yes, we lost more than 500 police officers before I became mayor. When I became mayor, we worked very hard to bring people together at the table to work through differences and to rebuild our public safety departments," Liccardo said.

However, the firefighter's union maintains that Liccardo, both as a city councilmember and later as mayor, refused to collaborate with first responders.

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"If you have an employer in a city that respects you and shows you some dignity, they're going to want you to stay. And ultimately, when he was in that position, that never happened," May said.

Liccardo is currently running against State Assemblymember Evan Low, who has the endorsement of San Jose Firefighters Local 230. In response to the timing of the protest, Liccardo said he suspects it has to do with his opponent.

"I understand there's a certain desperation tactic in this. And so, we see this happen a lot in campaigns. This is not my first campaign. I suspect we'll see more of it," he said.

Low's campaign issued a statement supporting the union, urging voters to take their warnings seriously.

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"16th District voters should heed these first responders' warning. We need someone with a proven record supporting first responders and public safety as our next congressman -- not someone like Liccardo who actively fought these local heroes," the statement read.

As the congressional race continues, the firefighters union insists that the city's critical staffing issues require strong support from future leadership.

"It impacts everyone's public safety," May said.