Editors’ note: The candidates’ responses during interviews with The Falcon have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. All candidates’ ballot statements can be found on the City of Saratoga website here.
The biennial city council elections will be held on Nov. 8 during the state-wide general election. City council members serve 4-year terms, with two to three city council seats up for election every two years. This year, three of the five seats are open; in 2024, two new seats will be on the ballot.
There are no districts in Saratoga, so representatives are elected solely based on the number of votes they receive. For the election, candidates need to fill out a nomination packet as well as four other forms.
The council coordinates the activities of six commissions: the Heritage Preservation Commission, Library Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Traffic Safety Commission and Youth Commission.
The council interviews and appoints individuals to commissions, and then oversees their progress and products. The council provides general guidance on the philosophical approach each commission should take and ensures they have necessary resources. When certain tasks require broader resources or community involvement, the council can step in and aid commissions on a larger scale.
City council members are also responsible for decisions regarding policies, budget, land use and tax fees. All council members work together like a board of directors to a bigger cooperation, and the commissions act as governing bodies for the city.
All candidates referenced their love for the semi-rural nature of the city, its closeness to open spaces in nature and its annual festivals.
Belal Aftab: Traffic Safety Commission Chair, running for re-election
Q: What is your political philosophy?
My political philosophy is to serve as a moderate voice that brings the community together to help solve our problems and leave a better Saratoga for future generations.
Q: What are some things you have done for the community?
City-wide impact on traffic safety: Over the last five years, I’ve worked with residents on over 100 streets in Saratoga to identify and implement traffic safety improvements that make our streets safer. For example, I added the 4th Street stop sign downtown. I’m most proud of how we’ve improved our crosswalks around the city.
Safe Routes to School: As Chair of the Traffic Safety Commission, I worked on the development of the Safe Routes to School program, which will make it safer and easier for kids to walk and bike to school over the coming decades.
Local Road Safety Plan: This is a proactive plan that will reduce accidents and fatalities in Saratoga over the coming years. I worked on this in tandem with the Safe Routes to School Team.
Q: What are your top priorities? How do you plan to address them?
Keep Saratoga safe: Safety means working to reduce crime and front porch delivery theft. It means making sure our partners in law enforcement are resourced and using modern technology to alert residents of various hazards such as wildfire risks and dangerous road conditions.
Preserve our semi-rural character: The state is mandating that Saratoga increase its housing stock by about 15%, a huge increase during a time of drought and scarcity. We need to preserve what makes the city special: our beautiful tree canopy, semi-rural character and historical areas.
Fight traffic and speeding: Studies show that cars are driving faster than ever. We need a new and innovative approach to traffic safety as home and work patterns change. We need more crosswalks, better striping and empowered citizens to make the changes they want.
Q: What inspired you to pursue politics?
I grew up in Saratoga and care deeply about keeping our community a special place to live in for people of all ages and backgrounds. I like working with the community to solve problems that affect all of us.
Q: If we were to shadow you, what would your daily life look like? Do you have a job or hobby outside of city council?
I wake up and work from home most of the time these days from 8:30 a.m. to around 5 p.m. After work, I go knock on doors for a bit to introduce myself to people who don’t know me and hear about what matters to the community. I take breaks throughout the day for prayer and meditation. I like to spend time with my family and friends, hike, ski and enjoy the outdoors!
Bill Dalton: retiree endorsed by Preserve Saratoga, running for election
Q: What is your political philosophy?
I favor limited government. It is my feeling that governments tend to over-regulate. Last year the Saratoga council passed a ban on menthol tobacco. I opposed this. While I personally think smoking is a terrible health risk, I also think we don’t need to tell 21-year-olds they can’t smoke a menthol cigarette.
Q: What are some things you have done for the community?
I coached my son’s American Youth Soccer Organization team and helped coach his baseball team.
Q: What are your top priorities? How do you plan to address them?
Our Neighborhood Voices initiative: While I mention an initiative in my ballot statement, I was not allowed to name Our Neighborhood Voices as I am not an organizing member of the group sponsoring the initiative. The Our Neighborhood Voices initiative will take zoning control from the state, and I believe it is the only way to preserve the semi-rural nature of Saratoga. Getting this initiative passed will be difficult as the developers and YIMBYs — California’s Yes-In-My-Backyard party members, who support increasing the supply of housing in cities — will fight it hard. I will do all I can as a council member to get it passed.
Q: What inspired you to pursue politics?
It all started with the housing element update. Then I started paying close attention to the council agendas and got very interested in city finances. I’m not happy with some of what I learned: $7,000 to update the city ethics and objectives to incorporate woke speak, over $2 million for a railroad crossing, $500,000 for a backup generator at city hall and underfunding road maintenance by $1-2 million per year.
Q: If we were to shadow you, what would your daily life (both inside and outside of work) look like? Do you have a job or hobby outside of city council?
I am retired, but when I did work I worked a lot. Now I enjoy traveling: My wife and I have been to Europe several times on “self-guided” and Rick Steves’ Tours, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and cruises. I love hiking in Northern Arizona. My wife and I play duplicate bridge and will resume after the election. I’ll also get back to the gym.
Chuck Page: President of Saratoga Chamber of Commerce
Q: What is your political philosophy?
My political philosophy is that city leaders must be fiscally conservative, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used in the most efficient manner, and leaders must be socially responsible, providing assistance for those who need it. Saratoga’s primary source of revenue is a small percentage of property taxes (a little less than 7%), so the city does not provide a lot of services, but instead contracts with other organizations or provides funding for those organizations to support those needs.
Q: What are some things you have done for the community?
Implemented an education plan: helps our community and homeowners in the Wildland Urban Interface learn more about wildfire protection. We were successful in getting council approval of our recommendation to significantly increase funding to reduce the brush in the Wildland-Urban Interface that would lead to an explosive wildfire.
Approval of an encroachment permit: For the implementation of parklets in the village so that our restaurants could survive the pandemic restrictions. The parklets also added a vitality to the village that hasn’t been seen in a while and proved very successful.
Q: What are your top priorities? How do you plan to address them?
Make Saratoga a safer community.
Bring common sense and practical methodology to council decisions: My experience and knowledge of housing, planning, transportation, sanitation, solid waste and recycling, land use and city budget form a good base to lead the city into the next phase of overreaching state laws and give me a solid position to help lobby state officials to bring back some local control to the city.
Ensure good customer service and clear, straightforward communication: I will use as many methods of communication as possible to ensure that our residents know the ramifications of state mandates and council decisions earlier on and work with our community to find and implement the best decisions to benefit the future of Saratoga.
Q: What inspired you to pursue politics?
I love helping people, and serving as an independent, compassionate and discerning council member is a great way to serve my greater community. After I completed my term in 2014, I never thought I’d run again. However, it became very obvious in the past couple of years that I have been asked by a large number of citizens to run again. They told me our council needed my compassionate voice of experience and common sense, so that all of our residents will be listened to, their positions considered and the infighting and abstentions on key votes will end.
Q: If we were to shadow you, what would your daily life (both inside and outside of work) look like? Do you have a job or hobby outside of city council?
Get ready for a busy day! I am awake at 6:15 a.m., usually doing some of my business’s — Chuck Page Insurance Agency’s — administrative work (bills, accounting, payroll, etc.) before getting ready and getting to my office on Big Basin Way, next to the Bank of America. During the day, I answer calls, meet with clients and provide excellent customer service to my insurance and financial services clients. Sprinkled throughout the day will be some problem solving or decision making related to being the president of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. And I always try to find some time to walk up and down Big Basin Way to get some exercise and meet with some residents and business owners. I do enjoy golf, although two bad knees have prevented me from playing very much. I have two grown daughters that I love being with and I got married four months ago, so spending time with my wife is always a pleasure!
Priya Shastri: Heritage Preservation Commissioner, running for election
Q: What is your political philosophy?
My political philosophy is “Listen first, decide on action based on the people’s opinions and take action.” The key thing is the order in which you take these steps: Listening to understand is important in all these areas, and people’s voices must be heard on all matters pertaining to the public.
Q: What are some things you have done for the community?
Maintaining and preserving our cultural identity: I have served as the Heritage Preservation Commissioner of Saratoga since 2021, and learning about this city’s principles and overall mission has been an enriching experience. Maintaining the houses that are of cultural significance helps the next generation learn about our history and troubles that the previous generation went through.
Volunteering: I volunteer at the Saratoga History Museum to help spread awareness about the city’s unique offerings. In addition, I also served as a volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank to provide a timely delivery of food boxes to those in need.
Q: What are your top priorities? How do you plan to address them?
Having an equitable distribution of housing in the city of Saratoga: For this issue, I have attended the housing element updates provided by the city this year, and learned about the opportunity sites and what can be done to identify those sites early on for the next housing mandate from 2023 to 2031. I have also read and understood Senate Bills 9 and 25, land use acts and zoning rules in the city of Saratoga.
Helping seniors in the community, making their voices heard in their location: I have visited the Saratoga Retirement Center and learned about their proposals for building and adding an additional 52 living units to accommodate seniors.
Keeping safety in the city: The city has seen some rise in catalytic converters being stolen. I am an active user of Nextdoor, have learned about the various issues that are happening in the city and hope to make positive changes in those areas.
Q: What inspired you to pursue politics?
With a rising number of immigrants in the city, we need an appropriate representation of the community in order for democracy to prevail. Hence, I chose to run for city council and I believe I can make a difference if given a chance.
Q: If we were to shadow you, what would your daily life (both inside and outside of work) look like? Do you have a job or hobby outside of city council?
My daily life is full from 8 a.m. in the morning to 10 p.m. at night. I try to squeeze things that I like in between, such as exercising or listening to music in the 30-minute periods between different activities. Outside of city council, I am a Senior Software Engineer at Couchbase, Santa Clara. In this role I am responsible for testing software products to deliver bug-free products to our customers. My hobbies are hiking and running on the trails around Saratoga. There are plenty to choose from.
Yan Zhao: incumbent city council member and 2021 mayor, running for re-election
Q: What is your political philosophy?
I am all about community. From playing basketball on the Venice High girls’ team to serving on the council, I have always been a team player and a community builder. When violence against Asian Americans arose during the pandemic, I organized and led a Stop Asian Hate rally in front of City Hall. Over 1,000 community members showed up to fight against hatred and violence. I believe foundational political philosophies include liberty, equity and justice for all.
Q: What are some things you have done for the community?
I have been volunteering for more than 20 years; I have been the president of the Silicon Valley Science and Technology Association for over 5 years. I volunteered for a Youth Soccer league — I was a referee for five years when my kids played. I’ve also served four years on the board of trustees and one year as chair in the Saratoga Cemetery District and was the first Asian American that’s ever served there.
Q: What are your top priorities? How do you plan to address them?
Safety: It’s always been a high priority in my agenda. Saratoga is one of the safest cities in California, but we need to continue maintaining this high safety standard. Recently, we installed seven flood cameras and automated license plate readers at seven different entrances to the city.
Q: What inspired you to pursue politics?
I never thought about getting into politics while I was younger. I came from a family of engineers, as both my parents and two brothers were engineers. I got into politics by accident. I wanted to give back to this country, since I am a first generation immigrant who received a lot of help when I came here. When I had the opportunity to meet vice mayor Aileen Kao at the time, she encouraged me to look into politics and mentioned there was a Planning Commission position open, in which I then served for eight years.
Q: If we were to shadow you, what would your daily life look like? Do you have a job or hobby outside of city council?
While I have a lot of hobbies outside of just politics, I don’t have a whole lot of time to do it. I’ve played basketball since elementary school. The last time I played in an international basketball competition was 2014 in Las Vegas: I was with a team called the San Francisco Queens and we played for five days. I also like running, and am training for marathons, which is on my bucket list. Another thing that I recently got into was playing bridge, a card game, and I represented Silicon Valley and Northern California to compete in a North America bridge competition this year.
