Meet Sara Lashanlo, Candidate For San Ramon City Council

SAN RAMON, CA — Learn more about Sara Lashanlo, who's running to represent San Ramon City Council's District 2.

1. Why are you running for City Council District 2?

I love San Ramon, and I’ve got some great ideas about how we can maintain our safety, efficiency, and charm as time moves forward and we grow as a community. More importantly though, the residents have great ideas, and I will be a strong voice for them on the council. It’s going to take energy, bandwidth, and foresight to plan for our city’s future and those are qualities that I proudly offer. Lastly, I understand that the role of a council member is to be a public servant. It’s not a hobby or a job- it’s more profound than that. It’s an earned honor to represent residents on the city council, and represent San Ramon in regional and statewide affairs.

2. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your constituents?

Upon speaking with hundreds of voters, I can boil the community’s biggest challenges down to three concerns:

• Increased crime and catalytic converter thefts
• Biker and pedestrian safety including the safety of children who bike on the trail and walk to school
• Making sure we grow/develop our retail and residential infrastructure in a smart and sustainable way.

3. How do you intend to address it?

• Increased crime - we must continue to fully fund our law enforcement agencies, but why stop there? San Ramon is about innovation and efficiency; we can utilize technology to aid in law enforcement efforts. There are other ways to reduce the likelihood of catalytic converter thefts too, such as etching license plate numbers on one’s catalytic converter, installing anti-theft devices on one’s car, and parking in well-lit and properly surveilled areas. The council can prioritize these initiatives with law enforcement and residents.
• Biker and pedestrian safety - did you know that a white bike tethered to a light pole on the side of a road commemorates a biker fatality? We’ve got at least one of those memorial bikes in San Ramon. Keep an eye out for it. We should see not one more white bike. San Ramon currently does not have a safe and continuous bike network. There’s no separation between bike lanes and car lanes, there’s minimal signage on the Iron Horse Trail, and the best and most efficient way to get almost anywhere in San Ramon is still by car. Every future development should consider biker and pedestrian wellness. We can invest time and money into a continuous lane network.
• Smart growth is the way! Our growth and development should decrease traffic and pollution, while increasing prosperity and connectedness, not the other way around

4. What should be done to solve the affordable housing crisis?

The first and simplest solution is a fundamental concept of economics: increased supply leads to decreased demand. That said, we must be mindful about the type of supply we introduce into our city. We need a diversity of floor plans and square footages; a surplus of homes that are 3,000+ square feet will not solve our state’s affordable housing crisis, and are inherently unaffordable by design. Think about it this way: San Ramon real estate sells for about $800-$900 per square foot. That means that a 3000 square foot home will sell for at least $2.4 million, while a 1000 square foot home will sell for around $800,000. San Ramon has a local ordinance that requires new developments to incorporate at least 15% of its units for affordable or “Below Market Rate” housing. This is a fantastic opportunity for young professionals, small families, and individuals who work in lower-income jobs to establish their roots in close proximity to their jobs while building some equity to potentially buy a market rate home in the future. However, I consider BMR housing allocations a bandaid over the larger issue, which is that we have a housing shortage and we continue to build housing that is unaffordable by design. Smaller, denser, more walkable units at the city core will decrease traffic, congestion, sprawl, and it’ll also contribute to the solution of our affordable housing crisis.

5. What do you think the city can do to conserve water?

In order for cities to address our water shortage and propose methods of conservation, we must understand where most of our water goes. More than 50% of residential water use goes to landscaping and yard maintenance. One impactful way that residents can conserve water is by renovating their front and back yards to be drought-tolerant. In other words, replace their grass lawns with low-water-consuming landscaping. Nearly every residence in San Ramon contains large front and back yards, which consume not only water, but time, energy, and money to upkeep and maintain. Many residents would love to make the switch to a beautiful, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape, but they don’t know where to start! That’s where the city comes in. There are resources, programs, financial incentives, and experts that can aid in a person’s transition to a drought-tolerant yard, but what’s the good of those perks if the people don’t know where to find them? The city can provide contacts, resources, and educational opportunities for residents to take those steps and not be alone in the process.

6. What can the city do to help its downtown and small businesses?

Our downtown is brand new, and San Ramon’s retail potential is great. A robust downtown and small business scene is valuable to the city for many reasons: it provides our residents and neighboring communities with fun leisurely activities right here at home so that we don’t have to commute to other parts of the Bay Area for dinner or entertainment, and it also diversifies and strengthens our tax revenue stream. We have many existing retail centers and strip malls that are a bit outdated and lack safety measures for pedestrians and people who choose to dine outdoors. One measure we can take is to partner with the property owners of these strip malls to upgrade the complexes so that businesses can enjoy more patrons, safer storefronts with more pedestrian traffic and less car traffic, and updated exteriors. We can also strengthen our retail base by continuing to welcome small, mom-and-pop style shops to San Ramon. This can happen through outreach, advocacy, and city-sponsored incubation programs for small businesses to receive the support they need to navigate the fees and paperwork of setting up a storefront in San Ramon.

7. What other issues are important to you?

Among my top priorities are:

• Community safety including biker and pedestrian safety - prioritize a well-funded and resourced police department. Connect residents with wellness resources, including access to emergency services and mental health support. Develop a continuous bike and pedestrian path network so that people don’t have to bike around San Ramon with anxiety until they reach the trail.
• Smart growth - ensure that our residential and commercial development decreases traffic and increases prosperity, not the other way around.
• Climate action - understand that municipalities play a big role in the climate crisis, and the climate solution. Reduce GHG emissions and improve the quality of our air by implementing electrified transit, planning for bikes and pedestrians, increasing access to electric charging and hydrogen refueling stations. Update and fully implement our existing Climate Action Plan.
• Robust economic growth - diversify our tax revenue stream by supporting a pleasant retail experience for residents. Encourage that residents shop locally, and give them more options to do so! Continue pursuing public-private partnerships to expand our community services.
• Local democracy - prioritize public engagement, consider term limits for council members, expand educational opportunities for residents such as the Planning Academy and Government 101.

8. What differentiates you from the other candidates?

I provide a perspective, lived experiences, and priorities that have yet to be represented on and validated by the city council. Nearly 40% of our population is under the age of 30. But that young population is dwindling. The population of people aged 25-44, which includes a considerable number of our young professionals, parents, members of the workforce, and business patrons, has dropped by 10% since 2000. They’re planting their roots, starting their families, buying their homes elsewhere. These people have a lot to contribute to our beautiful city, if we let them. The best way to let them...is to represent them. San Ramon’s General Plan plans the city’s development up to 20 years into the future! The decisions that are made today will impact the city for decades to come. As Peter Drucker famously said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it”. There are young, engaged people in this city who want to contribute their ideas to the city that they’ll inherit and be responsible for managing several decades in the future. Why not embrace that energy?

9. If applicable, what is your political party?

City Council races are nonpartisan, which I appreciate. Political parties and partisan politics can hinder true social and political progress because it becomes a tribalist war of ideologies. That said, I am a registered Democrat and am happy to be transparent about that.

10. How long have you lived in San Ramon?

I grew up and attended high school here. San Ramon has been home for over 12 years.

11. What is your day job, and how will that prepare you to serve on the council?

I’m a Mechanical Engineer and I work in a medical device startup company that is developing therapeutic technologies for post-menopausal people. The medical device industry is very regulations-heavy, and we’ve been collaborating and communicating closely with the federal medical device regulatory body (Food and Drug Administration, FDA) during our extensive clinical trial period. This experience with a government regulatory entity has primed me for the duties and responsibilities of city council because council members must understand how to navigate regulations, laws, mandates, and ordinances. My company has a core internal team of 6 people and builds collaborative relationships with third party manufacturers, vendors, and other entities. This has prepared me to serve on the council because I’ve learned to wear many hats, collaborate interdepartmentally, and build bridges with organizations and people outside of my immediate team to advance quality of life and the greater good.

12. What experience do you have serving the community?

I currently serve on the City of San Ramon’s Innovation and Technology and Innovation Advisory Committee. My experience on that committee has been a wonderful opportunity to volunteer my time to this beautiful city, build relationships with city staff, understand the responsibilities of council, commissions, and advisory committees, and brainstorm creative paths forward for San Ramon.

In 2021, I co-founded the San Ramon Valley Climate Coalition and am still an active member of that organization. We’re a grassroots team of residents who see value in building relationships with city staff and delivering public comment at city council meetings to advance municipal climate action.

During the summers of 2010-2015, I worked for San Ramon’s Parks and Community Services department as a Recreation Leader at Camp Central. If any of you had children or loved ones participating in summer camps during those years, ask them if they remember the recreation leader “Skittles” - that was me! I was also a trained Disaster Service Worker, seeing as I was a public employee. I also volunteered for Art and Wind and worked at several after-school programs for local middle schools in my capacity as a Parks and Community Services employee.

I’m a City Lights volunteer and an active volunteer for several local and regional nonprofit volunteer organizations.

13. Of which accomplishments are you most proud?

I’ve grown in ways and accomplished goals that would make my young self very proud. To date, one of my proudest accomplishments was earning my degree in Mechanical Engineering. It was a strenuous journey that challenged my patience, dedication, discipline, and most importantly my confidence. Earning that degree meant more than becoming an engineer. It meant achieving my academic dreams, proving that STEM is for anyone and everyone, and earning the opportunity to build the technologies of tomorrow. The most valuable skill I gained from my engineering education wasn't math or science, but the skill to think critically and analyze problems pragmatically. I can take that mindset with me anywhere in life, and I know it’ll be an asset on the council.

I’m also very proud of having been considered for the San Ramon City Council District 2 appointment last year, and following my passions of local involvement. It takes courage to embrace an opportunity to serve one’s community, and it’s not without its challenges and discouragement from unsupportive folks, but I’m proud that I’ve been able to stay true to my mission, which is dedicating myself to advancing our community’s wellness.

14. What is your education?

I attended and graduated from California High School, right here in District 2. I earned my Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. While earning my degree, I lived for 6 months in Munich, Germany, where I attended their technical university (Hochschule München).

15. Tell us about your family.

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support, encouragement, and empowerment of my incredible family. My parents immigrated to the United States, learned a new language, went to college, and created a life of liberty, opportunity, and prosperity for themselves and me. My father is an electrical engineer and my mother is a financial analyst. They’re my role models and my examples of resilience and grit. Because of them, I’m a liberated woman, a Mechanical Engineer, and a confident advocate for my community. They taught me the value of hard work, pragmatism, strength, and expression.

16. What is the best advice you ever received?

One word: ASK. Don’t know where to find information? Ask. Want to learn something new? Ask. Interested in shadowing that person with your dream job so that you can see a day in the life? Ask. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no. This applies directly to serving on the city council. One isn’t elected because they know everything, they’re elected because they possess the ability to ask the right questions to the right people (including their constituents) to achieve the best outcomes for the community.

Here’s another nugget. It’s not advice but words to live by: “we move at the pace of mutual trust”. I don’t know where this quote was originally said, but it’s absolutely true. If we want to move forward and embrace tomorrow, we have to build trust with one another, and that requires time, conversations, outreach, and transparency.

17. Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I know that we can embrace tomorrow while preserving our safety, efficiency, and trust. The council requires a diverse set of perspectives through which we see San Ramon, development proposals, and more, so that we can proactively create the future we all want for ourselves and our posterity here in San Ramon.

18. Please provide links to websites and social media.

https://saraforcouncil.com/
Instagram: @saraforcouncil
Twitter: @saraforcouncil
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saraforcouncil2022
Email: saraforcitycouncil@gmail.com