Let that marinate for a second.

Mahan, a former tech entrepreneur himself, has rolled out a regulatory framework that's supposed to convince California voters he can be the tough-but-fair sheriff of the industry that built him. It's the political equivalent of your landlord promising to fight for tenants' rights — technically possible, but you'd be wise to read the fine print.

To his credit, Mahan has governed San Jose with a pragmatic streak that's refreshing in California politics. He's talked about fiscal discipline, streamlining city bureaucracy, and actually holding government accountable for outcomes — all things we like to hear. His tech background gives him genuine fluency in the issues, which is more than you can say for most Sacramento politicians who think "the algorithm" is a band name.

But here's the tension: campaign finance records show tech titans are the backbone of his gubernatorial bid. And now he's asking voters to trust that he'll regulate those same companies with a firm hand. The plan reportedly focuses on accountability measures for Big Tech — details that sound reasonable on paper but raise the obvious question of whether any real teeth will survive contact with his donor base.

This is actually a fascinating test case for California politics. Can a candidate with deep industry ties credibly position himself as a reformer? Or does the money inevitably soften the edges of any meaningful regulation?

We're not here to impugn Mahan's motives. The guy might be completely sincere. But voters deserve more than a framework — they deserve specifics, and they deserve to know exactly where the bright lines are between his donors' interests and his policy commitments.

Show us the teeth, Mayor Mahan. California's had enough regulatory theater.