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Chevron has announced plans to downsize its operations in San Ramon once again, including the energy giant’s headquarters and corporate functions set to shift to a new headquarters out of state to Texas in the coming years.
Houston is set to be the new home to Chevron’s corporate headquarters, which for decades have been centered in Bishop Ranch, first at the former Chevron Park site currently being eyed for redevelopment, then in a smaller Bishop Ranch office space after the former site was sold back to Sunset Development Company in 2022.
By the end of this year, Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth and Vice Chairman Mark Nelson are set to relocate to Houston “to co-locate with other senior leaders and enable better collaboration and engagement with executives, employees, and business partners,” according to Chevron’s announcement Friday morning.
Over the course of the next five years, the company expects to shift all of its corporate operations to the new Houston headquarters, though some workers will remain in San Ramon following the move.
“Positions in support of the company’s California operations will remain in San Ramon,” Chevron officials said Friday.
As it stands, approximately 7,000 Chevron employees are already based in Houston compared with 2,000 employees in San Ramon.
Local officials reacted to the news later in the day, with the city of San Ramon posting a statement on their website outlining Chevron’s longstanding presence in the city and emphasizing that the move does not mean the company is fully exiting the city.
“Chevron has been a part of San Ramon’s business community for many years, and the City understands the community’s interest in the potential economic impacts to San Ramon,” city officials said.
They noted that while Chevron may be less of a presence in San Ramon in the future, the city would continue seeking to accomodate businesses while moving forward with redevelopment plans for the former Chevron Park site.
“San Ramon has a diversified local economy, and no single business or corporation’s move will have an outsized impact on local revenue,” city officials said. “The San Ramon City Council will continue to prioritize a business-friendly environment, with relatively low business license fees, an attractive community profile where employees want to work and play, and exciting development that welcomes businesses and families to spend more time in San Ramon.”
“The City will continue to work with community partners and the Chamber of Commerce to support a vibrant business community, which can continue to accommodate changes in a dynamic economy,” they continued.
Officials with Sunset Development, which owns Bishop Ranch, said the move was disappointing, but emphasized that they would continue to accomodate Chevron’s changing needs in their current San Ramon office.
“Sunset Development Company has proudly supported Chevron’s real estate needs at Bishop Ranch for over 40 years,” said Alex Mehran Jr., president and CEO of Sunset Development. “Chevron’s recent relocation within Bishop Ranch represented a one-million-square-foot reduction in space and a shift from ownership to tenancy, providing them with long-term flexibility.
Chevron has been a major tenant for Sunset Development since its first foray into the San Ramon Valley and the emergence of the office park space in the central portion of the city that was known for decades as home to headquarters for both Chevron and AT&T.
The energy company began downsizing its presence in the city starting in 2022, when they sold the former Chevron Park site at 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road back to Sunset, shifting their headquarters to a smaller space at 5001 Executive parkway blocks away.
“While we are disappointed to see the headquarters leave California, we will continue to provide our highest level of support for their real estate requirements past, present and future,” Mehran Jr. said.
Meanwhile, the former headquarters on Bollinger Canyon Road has been the subject of ongoing discussions between developers and the city, with a large mixed-use development re-named The Orchards on the horizon.
“While no formal development application has been submitted, the project concept includes mixed-use residential, retail and entertainment, which would further diversify the local economy,” city officials said.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) said in a statement Friday that he was “disappointed, but not surprised” by Chevron’s announcement earlier in the day.
“I have long been involved and advocated for California’s renewable portfolio standard and climate goals to protect both public health and the environment, and for years I have encouraged Chevron to be a diverse energy company investing in clean renewable sources of energy as we in California have been responsibly transitioning away from climate destroying energy and towards clean energy that protects the climate and public health,” DeSaulnier said.
“Unfortunately, these efforts have been much less successful than I had hoped and, in many ways, Chevron left California years ago,” he continued. “I hope as Chevron relocates their corporate facilities, they will keep California’s climate goals in mind. I’ve reached out to the city of San Ramon and I would be happy to work with Chevron, or any other company, in reaching these important energy goals and to continue to support its employees in Contra Costa County.”
In Friday’s press release, Chevron sought to emphasize that they were seeking to expand their role in renewable energy in addition to oil and gas.
“We aim to grow our oil and gas business, lower the carbon intensity of our operations and grow lower carbon businesses in renewable fuels, carbon capture and offsets, hydrogen and other emerging technologies,” Chevron officials said.
In addition to the move, Chevron officials announced a number of leadership changes Friday, including the departure of Nigel Hearne, vice president for oil, products and gas after 35 years with the company and Rhonda Morris, vice president and chief human resource officer after 31 years.
Nelson is set to take on Hearne’s responsibilities starting Oct. 1, with Morris being succeeded by Michelle Green, current vice president for human resources, oil, products and gas starting Jan. 1.
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I am not surprised. Other companies are moving from California for obvious reasons. Note that Washington State, that has no State Income Tax, has some of the Big Name Corporations such as Amazon and Microsoft.
And it is not only Corporations that are leaving California. Families are leaving also…