Meet Chirag Kathrani, Candidate For 16th Assembly District

SAN RAMON, CA — Patch reached out with identical questions to all candidates to represent California's 16th Assembly District, which includes Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, parts of Livermore, Pleasanton, and parts of Dublin. It is currently represented by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who is running for re-election.

Here are the answers from Chirag Kathrani, a tech entrepreneur and community volunteer. Responses have not been edited.

Can you briefly describe your background, including your professional experience, public service, and connection to the district?

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I'm Chirag Kathrani — a 20-plus-year entrepreneur, small business owner, and East Bay resident running as an Independent candidate for California State Assembly District 16.

In 2021, I founded the non-profit Lead For Earth and the Open Governance Initiative (OpGov.News). Both grew out of the same conviction: that accountable leadership, civic engagement, and youth empowerment are how we protect what's worth keeping — and that real conservation begins with valuing what we already have.

I currently run two companies and have been a serial entrepreneur for more than 20 years. I've bootstrapped five businesses and mentored many young people in building successful small enterprises of their own.

My civic work started in early 2021, when I watched young San Ramon residents stand outside City Hall in the summer heat demanding climate action. Together with a handful of community members, we launched the San Ramon Valley Climate Action Team, which led the city to establish its Sustainability Council.

In 2024, I was stunned to see the mayor of a large city run unopposed. When I later applied for a council appointment, I wasn't even granted an interview — despite having earned 31% of the vote (roughly 11,000 votes). The seat was handed to someone who had received zero votes, and the 350 residents who spoke out in opposition were ignored.*

From 2013 to 2019, I ran FoodNearU, a restaurant delivery service operating from Livermore to Walnut Creek. Nearly every restaurant owner along that corridor knows me personally. Today, through OpGov.News, we engage directly with the community members who speak at public forums across nearly all of AD16.

What makes you the best candidate for this seat?

I see red flags across city governance throughout our district. Local leaders are increasingly hamstrung by state mandates that cripple their ability to actually serve the voices of their communities.

Through the Open Governance Initiative, I've found that community members already have detailed, practical solutions to nearly every issue we face. Armed with those community-driven solutions, I intend to challenge mandates whose loopholes are routinely exploited at residents' expense.

As a bootstrapped small business owner — never venture-funded — I've had to run extremely lean and build a shared vision across an ecosystem that rewards deliverables over talk. That's the same discipline I'll bring to Sacramento.

The other two candidates in this race represent Red and Blue, and both serve party interests ahead of community interests. As a lifelong Independent, I answer to you. Your interests will always come first.

What are the biggest challenges facing the 16th district, and how do you plan to address them?

Housing affordability. Laws like the Density Bonus Law and SB 79 aren't actually solving affordability. The only real path forward is building smaller starter homes that are affordable by design. During my run for mayor of San Ramon, I pointed out that for decades our cities have built townhome after townhome, while what little single-family stock gets approved is sized for seniors. The result is a paradox: our population is declining, our workforce can't afford to live locally, and our schools are losing enrollment — even as every city dutifully meets its RHNA numbers.

High utility costs. Residents have watched utility rates double or triple in the last five years. Much of that cost comes from public utilities investing heavily in bringing more power online to serve AI and crypto operations. This has to stop. We should not be powering AI infrastructure on the backs of ratepayers when the community sees no benefit from it.

Public safety. There are two pieces to this. First, the proposed ICE facility in Dublin has made many residents of color deeply uncomfortable. Second, organized crime is rising in our communities — and the reason is straightforward: offenders are being released too quickly. In conversations across the district, I've also learned that the conviction rate for rape cases is alarmingly low. Both problems point to a justice system that needs to be re-anchored to victims and communities, not to bureaucratic convenience.

Outside of politics, what do you enjoy doing?

I'm a stargazer. I sleep in the backyard with my kids, and we watch the stars together while we talk about how the cycles of nature work.

Please provide any links you’d like to share.

In the first week of March, I sent a mass text to 250,000 people pointing out that 62% of Bay Area races were going unchallenged — with an offer: if you have 1% interest, I'll add two zeros to it.

160 community members responded. Today, as a direct result, four people are running for office in Contra Costa County and two in Alameda County.

My yard sign is [above].

*Responses are provided by the candidate and have not been independently verified.