Meet The San Ramon Candidate: Richard Adler

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 Richard Adler, the incumbent for City Council District 2

What is your educational background?

BA, UC Berkeley, JD, Peninsula University College of Law (later merged into Lincoln Law School of San Jose)

What is your professional background?

I worked for State Farm Insurance for 30 years, primarily in the injury claims department. I also assisted the Fire and Casualty Department during the Oakland Fire. Finished my career in the litigation department before I retired in 2015.

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

I was appointed to the San Ramon City Council in January 2025 after an interview process. The city received 16 eligible applications to fill the vacancy left by former councilmember Mark Armstrong after he was elected mayor in November 2024. The council narrowed the field down to four individuals before I was selected. After graduated from UC Berkeley I worked as in intern for Congressman Pete McCloskey which gave me experience helping with constituent issues.

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

1) Development and Rapid Growth: For the 2023-2031 housing cycle, San Ramon was assigned a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHINA) target of 5,111 total housing units required by state law. The city is building in the central core to create a walkable mixed use neighborhood close to businesses where residents can gather shop and dine.

2) Financial sustainability: The city faces a persistent structural deficit where expenditures have exceeded revenues. Measure N, the 1% sales tax has made it possible to balance the budget but the measure is set to expire in 2035. We must keep annual expenditure growth at 2.3%, or 2% below expected revenue growth.

3) Public Safety: We must ensure that our police, firefighters and first responders are fully resourced, trained and equipped to protect our neighborhoods, schools, parks and retail centers.

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

Being financially responsible: Residents moved to San Ramon because of our schools, beautiful parks and city services. We can only maintain our 64 parks, trails, community centers, libraries and recreational centers through effective, sensible long-term financial planning and smart budget practices that protect taxpayers dollars.

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?

The city is planning to build low and moderate income housing as per state requirements. Of the 5,111 housing units, approximately 2,359 or 61% targets lower income households. The city is working with Sunset Development to leverage developer fees to fund public projects. This includes millions of dollars for parks, and walking districts. The city works with housing developers and regional agencies to handle infrastructure and transportation needs. This includes the Tri-Valley Transportation Council (TVTC). New developments are subject to the Tri-Valley Transportation Development Fee which helps fund regional road improvement to reduce traffic. San Ramon and the San Ramon Unified School District work with developers regarding future schools and managing growth.

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?

San Ramon is a desirable city to live work and play. We need to attract more restaurants and businesses that keep our residents spending within the city. The city is drawing a growing number of tech satellites, start ups, healthcare and financial firms. It needs to continue to attract a large population of highly compensated professionals who choose to live here because of its safety, recreation and top schools.

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

The San Ramon PD needs to continue to use Dedicated Response Teams operating specialized suppression units focused on retail and commercial crime trends. We should upgrade the aerial drone program that was so effective in apprehending the perpetrators of the Heller Jewelers heist. We should continue to collaborate with neighboring agencies (like Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore) to track, identify and arrest suspects operating across county lines.

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

I prepared for leadership by taking classes offered by the city including 1) Government 101 2) the Planning Academy 3) Citizens Police Academy and 4) Leadership San Ramon Valley. I served as Chair of the Senior Advisory Committee. During that time I was liaison to both the City Council and the Parks and Community Services Commission. I was President of the Dougherty Valley San Ramon Rotary Club. During my year as President, I focused on mental health especially as it pertains to our youth. Since I was appointed to the council, I have served as Vice-Chair of the Infrastructure Committee and representative to Street Smarts as well as well as other committees. This has given me the knowledge and experience to better serve the residents of San Ramon.