Meet The San Ramon Candidate: Paschalis Ntatsos

SAN RAMON, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for San Ramon mayor and for Council Districts 2 and 4 with questions we feel San Ramon voters want to know.

We reprinted their answers verbatim.

Below, read the responses of Paschalis Ntatsos, a swim coach running for mayor.

What is your educational background?

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education and Sports Science and am certified as an ASCA Level 5 Senior International Coach. To complement my academic background with practical civic knowledge, I completed San Ramon’s Government 101, the Planning Academy, and the Community Police Academy.

My education combines formal sports science and program administration with deep instruction in municipal governance, planning, and public safety operations.

What is your professional background?

I am a local business owner, founder, and executive director of ElitSwim, a 501(c)(3) youth athletic organization. My career spans 26+ years designing multi-tiered sports programs, managing nonprofit budgets, and overseeing personnel. A former professional athlete with 23 years of competitive experience, I also served in the Greek Navy. My life and career center on executive leadership, operational accountability, and community wellness advocacy.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I have not held elected office, but I have directly delivered public services for San Ramon for seven years. Managing the city’s municipal swim lesson program from 2018 to 2025 required strict contract oversight, facility administration, personnel leadership, and maintaining a 4+ star customer satisfaction rating across thousands of local families. I don't just understand municipal operations in theory; I have proven executive experience leading them effectively right here in San Ramon.

What are the top three issues facing San Ramon right now?

1. Long-Term Budget Sustainability: Beyond temporary tax measures, San Ramon must resolve its underlying cost structure to ensure long-term stability without compromising essential city services.

2. Preserving Community Safety & Quality of Life: Rising regional property crime and commercial break-ins threaten local quality of life. We need proactive law enforcement strategies that protect neighborhoods and shopping districts while preserving resident privacy.

3. Balanced Growth & Infrastructure: Redevelopment must align with community needs. New residential and commercial projects must be carefully managed so local traffic, schools, and public utilities are not overwhelmed.

What is one specific action you would prioritize during your first year in office?

My first priority will be balancing San Ramon's long-term budget to fix our ongoing deficit. Measure N provided temporary relief, but sales tax revenues shift with the economy. We need permanent fiscal rules to keep the city financially stable.

First-Year Steps:

1. Cap annual spending growth at 2% so operating expenses do not outpace revenue.

2. Audit city contracts and vendor agreements to find savings and remove duplicate costs.

3. Work directly with commercial property owners to fill vacant retail spaces and grow our tax base naturally.

Thousands of homes are planned at Bishop Ranch as former office properties are redeveloped. What should the city require or prioritize regarding affordability, transportation, schools, parks and infrastructure?

Transforming office space at Bishop Ranch into residential neighborhoods requires an infrastructure-first policy where growth pays for growth.

Priorities for Bishop Ranch:

1. Infrastructure & Public Safety: Developer fees must cover necessary water, sewer, and road upgrades. Police and fire staffing must grow alongside population increases.

2. Traffic Solutions: Require developer funding for road improvements along Norris Canyon, Bollinger Canyon, and Crow Canyon. Upgrade traffic signal timing and improve local transit links to BART and the Iron Horse Trail.

3. School Support: Work with SRVUSD to ensure developers pay their fair share for school capacity, keeping class sizes manageable.

4. Affordable Housing: Keep the 15% affordable housing requirement, focusing on workforce and senior housing so young families and older residents can stay in San Ramon.

5. Parks & Open Space: Require usable parks and trail connections within walking distance of new neighborhoods.

As office vacancies reshape San Ramon’s economy, how should the city attract jobs and maintain its tax base without relying excessively on either office development or housing?

To build a resilient economic foundation without relying on traditional office expansion or high-density housing, San Ramon must proactively diversify its tax base using proven commercial retention strategies:

• Flexible Zoning: Allow vacant office buildings to convert into medical offices, research labs, and vocational training centers. These uses create local jobs and bring daily visitors to nearby shops.
• Sales Tax Capture: Encourage local businesses to list San Ramon as their primary business location for purchasing, ensuring our city collects its share of sales tax on corporate transactions.

• Retail Support: Streamline city permits for restaurants, family activities, and local services. Offer matching grants to help existing businesses improve their storefronts and stay competitive.
• Supporting New Ventures: Partner with local business groups to attract tech startups and specialized light industry, creating jobs close to home for San Ramon residents.

San Ramon and many other Tri-Valley communities have recently seen a rash of commercial burglaries. How can we better prevent this from happening?

Overnight commercial burglaries harm our small business owners and undermine community safety. Preventing these crimes requires a proactive, multi-layered strategy that deters criminals before break-ins happen:

• License Plate Reader Networks: Place Automated License Plate Readers along main entrance points like Crow Canyon, Bollinger, and Dougherty Roads to flag stolen or wanted cars. To protect resident privacy, these systems must follow strict police guidelines: 30-day data deletion, clear search logs, no facial recognition, and no data sharing with federal agencies.
• Security Micro-Grants: Create small city matching grants ($1,000 to $2,500), so shop owners can install window security film, reinforced locks, and alarm systems.

• Plaza Safety & Business Groups: Work with shopping center owners to set up property watch networks, upgrade lighting, and coordinate private security patrols.
• Storefront Audits: Direct police officers to conduct free security reviews for local merchants to identify weak entry points.

Why do you feel you're a better candidate than your opponents?

My candidacy stands out because it combines long-standing community trust with decisive executive leadership. Serving local families since 2006 and living in San Ramon since 2009, I am an active community member and deeply invested in our city’s long-term success.

My background in non-profit management, competitive athletics, and public service taught me that real leadership requires clear goal-setting, fiscal accountability, and teamwork under pressure. Beyond municipal management, I am committed to supporting our seniors with accessible city services and empowering our youth with civic tools that build resilience so they can take charge of their future.

I focus entirely on practical priorities: protecting residents and local businesses, closing our structural deficit, and guiding smart growth. As a nonpartisan leader, I put our residents' best interests first. I bring the discipline, accessibility, and vision needed to deliver results.