Candidates debate District 1, citywide issues in San Ramon council forum

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The two candidates for the District 1 position on the San Ramon City Council set to be vacated by the longtime incumbent at the end of the year took to Bishop Ranch for a live election forum aimed at offering a platform for them to connect with voters and detail their views on the city’s most pressing issues.

Attorney Robert Jweinat and financial and technology executive Vasanth Shetty are both in the throes of their first-ever campaigns for public office, vying for the seat of Councilmember Scott Perkins, who is not seeking reelection.

Among the topics of discussion at the forum moderated by DanvilleSanRamon and co-hosted by the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce at the Roundtable Conference Center last Wednesday (Oct. 2) were their messages to District 1 voters who might have some trepidation about having a new representative on the City Council elected to office for their first time.

The council forum was the second of a two-part discussion that evening, the first of which was centered on the mayoral race between District 2 Councilmember Mark Armstrong and newcomer Chirag Kathrani. The mayor’s race and the District 1 council race are the only two competitive elections in San Ramon this year, with District 3 Councilmember Sridhar Verose running unopposed in his bid for a second term.

Both District 1 candidates pointed to their longstanding connections to the city, where both are fathers to students in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, and highlights from their past professional and personal endeavors that have prepared them for the council seat.

“There’s no doubt we’re losing two heavy hitters here in San Ramon,” Jweinat said, referring to the pending departures of both Perkins and Mayor Dave Hudson at the end of the year, who has served the longest-ever tenure on the City Council.

“But the thing to remember is that these folks built a great institution that made San Ramon the leading city it is today, not just by themselves, but with the team that they work with” he continued.

Jweinat said that experience participating in and facilitating teamwork throughout his career as an attorney and business owner would enable him to excel in the council role, as well as pointing to an understanding of local government that started in law school.

“My background as an attorney in law school was constitutional law and local government law, and it is there that I developed a passion for public office,” Jweinat said.

He went on to point to his work on several other political campaigns for other office holders, including Perkins.

“I do understand that there are folks who would rather see somebody elected with background experience,” Jweinat said. “However, the challenges we face today, the budget deficit we face today, the questions regarding affordable housing, etc. does require folks with an agile mindset that will change and adapt.”

Shetty said that he had also been preparing for the role and seeking to educate himself about in the city in recent years, currently serving on the San Ramon Economic Development Advisory Committee.

“I started this journey quite some years back,” Shetty said. “I started with attending the Government 101 course, the Planning Academy and (Citizen’s) Police Academy. That gives me immense knowledge of how the city’s day-to-day operations work because the real speakers come in, including city manager’s office and councilmembers, so I got a keen interest in that and got inspired.”

Shetty said that this inspiration was what led him to join the Economic Development Advisory Committee, which has itself given him additional insight into the city’s operations.

“It added further experience to talk to different leaders and how the city functions, and I’ve got keen interest in the economic development area,” Shetty said. “The strength I bring to the table is that I have finance experience, technology and operations, and I have a proven track record.”

He added that while his professional experience has been in corporate settings “there are a lot of similarities” between the corporate world and government, while adding that he understands the distinction between the two realms.

“My good collaboration skills, fast learning, and experience will help to replace the existing deep experience of Scott Perkins,” Shetty said.

Jweinat also alluded to parallels between local government and the corporate world, noting that the city is “a for-profit agency” and has a duty to bring in revenue. In the case of San Ramon, he said that he would seek to foster that by making it easier for businesses in the city to be established and operate.

“The biggest challenge is filling these stores, filling these empty vacant lots,” Jweinat said. “I know in Bishop Ranch, I believe it’s 95% leased but 85% occupied at the moment. But enabling the city to loosen up on the permitting requirements – and I want to be clear, when I say loosen up, I don’t mean cut out safety requirements to loosen up – but streamline it so that we can get small businesses in here right away so that the businesses don’t go elsewhere. So that my neighbor, for instance, doesn’t go open up a restaurant in Hayward, as he has done.”

Shetty said that one of the major concerns he’d heard from residents in District 1 was scrutiny of new construction in the area, and said he would seek to balance the construction of new homes mandated by the state in the current Housing Element cycle with economic development.

“On this problem, we can have a win-win situation in multiple areas,” Shetty said “No. 1, we are taking care of the state. Requirement No. 2, most of the development that is happening is a mix of development, which I really favor because the young people who are starting out, teachers, our first responders, they can afford the small houses.”

Shetty said he supported a mix of new developments that would make housing affordable and accessible to a range of incomes and lifestyles, as well as businesses that would foster economic growth by providing both jobs and services.

“What will happen is that new business will start, which will automatically entertain the small and medium business,” Shetty said. “And also with the office space right there, we can invite small entrepreneurs and also some of the medium size or big corporations, so that will create more jobs right there.”

One project deemed as mixed-use that Shetty said he was not fully supportive of was the redevelopment of the Marketplace Shopping Center amid the departure of numerous long standing businesses from the site, including the popular Nob Hill Foods.

“What happened at Marketplace is a little bit sad for me, especially because of closing up that grocery store,” Shetty said. “I know it has been there for a long time, and many people had an emotional attachment to it, including me and my wife. We used to walk to the grocery store.”

However, Shetty noted that despite the dozens of new townhouse units set to be built on the site, some businesses would continue to operate including Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.

“Having said that, was it a smart decision? I was not deeply involved in it, but again, If I was a councilmember, I would have explored some other alternative options,” Shetty said. “Before boiling down to it (I would have) tried to work with the builder. And we need to be careful how we can avoid this because I know housing is required, but to work with builders we need to collaborate – citizens, developers and the City Council – because otherwise we’ll have unsatisfied customers, because they may not know all the rationale behind the decision-making.”

Jweinat said he had also been sad to see Nob Hill Foods go, but called the pending redevelopment “a sign of our economic times” that would at least have the benefit of helping to address the city’s housing needs.

“I think there’s good in this battle,” Jweinat said. “I think it’s good in the sense that the developer can come and build townhomes; you can address our housing issues. However, does this really make a dent? There’s been some arguments around ‘this will help us with our revenue, exchange etc.’ – Not really. This will probably be seen as more of a blight on San Ramon.”

However, he added that the decision to allow for the redevelopment has already been said and done at the council level.

“Let’s look ahead. It’s happened, so we have to continue on with what we do next,” Jweinat said. “We have to ensure that the infrastructure around Marketplace continues to be vital. We have to ensure the safety of the people that are going to live in that area, the safety of the shoppers, safety of the employees, as well and maintain its charm.”

Other topics of discussion that evening included traffic congestion and road safety, general public safety, future housing projects in District 1, and the candidates thoughts on the proposed 1% sales tax increase, Measure N, which they both said they supported. A full video of the forum is also available on the DanvilleSanRamon.com YouTube page.

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