Johnny Khamis

Johnny Khamis is an American politician from San Jose, California and a current member of the San Jose City Council, representing District 10. He is an independent candidate for California State Senate District 15. He was a member of the Republican Party, until changing his registration to no party preference in protest of the Trump administration family separation policy.City council positions are officially nonpartisan per California law.With his swearing-in on December 31, 2012, he became the first Arab-American to take office for the city of San Jose.

In the 2012 city council election, Khamis got the highest vote total of the six candidates in the June primary and won the November general election 52.6% to 47.4%.

Khamis is a Christian of Palestinian descent. He grew up in San Jose and attended local public schools, graduating from Oak Grove High School. He is a graduate of San Jose State University in Business Management and Communication. He is the CEO and founder of Western Benefit Solutions, a San Jose-based firm that deals in benefit plan consulting.

He is the former regional director of the California Congress of Republicans, the former chair of the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission, and the former chair of the San Jose Small Business Development Commission.