By Chirag Kathrani-
(Chirag Kathrani is a resident of the city of San Ramon. An entrepreneur by profession, and was a city mayoral candidate for 2024. The views expressed in this article are his own)
As I highlighted in all my debates and forums—one was hosted by the League of Women Voters and the other by Embarcadero Media—we have fundamental problems within our city, where candidates are running unopposed.
Reflecting on January 6, 2025, I consider it a dark day for democracy in San Ramon. Following the vacancy of the District 2 Council Member seat, previously held by Mayoral candidate Mark Armstrong, the position was opened for appointment. Suddenly, there were 21 applicants, including one from District 3, where Sridhar Verose had run unopposed. Of these, 16 applicants, including myself, were qualified residents of District 2.
Our current City Council members are:
Mayor Mark Armstrong: Elected with 24,915 votes (69%), term expires in 2026.
Council Member Marisol Rubio: Elected in 2022 with 3,833 votes, term expires in 2026.
Council Member Sridhar Verose: Elected unopposed with 5,939 votes, term expires in 2028.
Council Member Robert Jewinat: Elected in 2024 with 4,252 votes, term expires in 2028.
All the members were tasked with choosing two candidates for the vacant seat. Each council member shared their priorities and considerations, yet none mentioned the importance of prioritizing the voices of the residents. This glaring omission is deeply troubling, as it effectively silenced the voices of 11,031 voters—approximately 31% of residents—who deserved fair representation, even in the final round of interviews.
We expect our elected representatives to value and uphold the voices of the residents they serve. Unfortunately, it has become evident that our current council fails to represent us adequately.
For those who want to witness the proceedings, I encourage you to view the special meeting recording here.
I am calling on residents who are ready to rise and actively participate in our democracy as representatives. If you’re interested, please connect with me through my website. I’ve kept the meet link available at ChiragForMayor.com/meet.
For additional context, you can also read about the San Ramon mayoral candidates’ debate on housing, budget, and more in this Danville San Ramon article.
Links: https://www.youtube.com/live/Ic9dmVV-nxU?si=px-yMLoZ7j1HpSA9
Link for San Ramon Mayor Forum in the following article.
San Ramon mayoral candidates debate housing, budget and more in election forum
Link to League of Women Voters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA4bb6cN3ME&t=21s (At 23:29 mins)