The top three finishers in San Ramon’s last mayoral race are squaring off again on Tuesday.
City Councilmember Sabina Zafar and Dr. Dinesh Govindarao are hoping for different results this time.
Unfortunately for them, they are facing as much of a household name as there can be in San Ramon politics: Dave Hudson, who has been on the City Council for a quarter century.
Zafar finished second to Hudson (34.8 percent to 28.46 percent) in 2020. She now has two more years on the council under her belt.
On her campaign site, Zafar touts her involvement with the city’s innovation and technology advisory committee and her community outreach, especially in promoting multi-cultural engagement.
She was one of the catalysts of the city’s “Idle Free” campaign for cleaner air and advocated for programs assisting San Ramon businesses and nonprofits with accessing available resources for state and federal grants. Zafar says she supports further development and improvements to the Iron Horse Trail, including an overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road, and wants to take steps to improve traffic congestion.
Govindarao, who finished third in 2020 with 15 percent of the vote, is a 1989 graduate of San Ramon’s California High School. He said in his candidate statement that living in San Ramon for 43 years puts him in a unique spot from “all levels” among the candidates to understand bridging the city’s past and future.
Currently a board member of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation and on the city’s library advisory committee, Govindarao says he is committed to strengthening public safety and health, developing sustainable plans for smart growth, economic development and fiscal responsibly, and preserving the city’s parks and open space.
Hudson is running on his record and campaigning on public safety. His city campaign statement says “San Ramon is the safest city for its size in California, with no murders — Uniform Crime Reporting Table 8” (The latest Safewise survey, which uses FBI statistics for violent crime and property crime, rated San Ramon the 11th safest city in California; neighboring Danville was No. 1).
Hudson’s statement also says, “San Ramon was also just named the Most Livable Small City in California by the financial real estate industry’s Smart Asset publication.”
Hudson says in his statement that protecting home value is a priority, as are prudent fiscal policies and balancing the city’s budget. Hudson said his experience and relationships will be valuable when it comes to competing for transportation funds and regulating local planning.
In San Ramon’s second council district, incumbent Mark Armstrong will be challenged by another Cal High graduate, Sara Lashanlo, a mechanical engineer for a medical device startup company.
Running for Zafar’s District 4 seat is Marisol Rubio, vice president of the Dublin San Ramon Services District. She’ll be up against Heidi Kenniston-Lee, chair of the San Ramon Parks and Community Services Commission.