Imagine a new University of California campus in San Jose.

It is within our grasp if we act now and act forcefully to pursue an opportunity that will help our city and state.

It’s clear that California desperately needs to start expanding the UC system and there’s no better place for it than San Jose.

Consider this: from 2007 to 2014, admission rates at UC for California residents dropped from 87 percent to 62 percent. It isn’t that there were fewer qualified students; in fact the opposite is true. But expansion of the University of California system has not kept up with our growing population, and it certainly has not matched the soaring demand for trained scientists, engineers, mathematicians and other skilled workers.

We need to expand opportunity to more residents by expanding access to the world-class education provided through the UC system. And we need that campus right here in San Jose, the largest city in California without a UC campus and the heart of the state’s fastest growing region.

Fortunately, some forward-thinking minds in the legislature are already focused on this issue. Assemblymember Mike Gatto introduced legislation to begin planning and location scouting for a new campus that would have a specific focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education. It’s envisioned as a public CalTech — at a far more affordable price.

I strongly support this effort. But I will strongly argue that the new UC campus should be located in San Jose because there is no other region in the state as associated with as much innovation as Silicon Valley.

San Jose offers unparalleled possibilities for mentorships, local expertise in science and technology,and public-private partnerships that will make a STEAM UC San Jose a powerhouse in both research and learning with far-reaching benefits.

San Jose State University offers a great example of how higher education pays off for a region: spending at the university sustains more than 6,500 area jobs. The school generates more than $54.5 million in local tax revenue.

And more than $3.3 billion of the earnings from SJSU alum are attributable to their degrees. That’s money that goes right back into the community, creating jobs and economic growth.

Studies show that resources directed to University of California carry a particular premium when it comes to return on investment. One report showed that $3.35 billion in state spending on the system generated $46.3 billion in economic activity in California.

UC San Jose would be a terrific counterpart to SJSU by extending the spectrum of educational opportunities available to students both in our area and around the state. Just as Los Angeles and San Diego have benefited from having multiple public institutions of higher education, a UC San Jose would help take our city to a new level.

A UC San Jose will not just generate new revenue, it also will generate new opportunities for the diverse young people and families that make our city so special.

Anyone who cares about closing the income gap in our city can help by working for the opening of a new UC San Jose campus. I’m running for Assembly because I believe we can expand opportunities for every person in our city. A UC San Jose will help more students earn their UC degree, create new jobs, help our area tech employers find and foster new employees, increase research that leads to technology breakthroughs…. The list goes on and on.

It’s an idea whose time has come, and I will fight for — UC San Jose.

Doesn’t that sound great?

Madison Nguyen, a candidate for the 27th Assembly District, is a former city council member and vice mayor of San Jose. She wrote this for this newspaper.