Former mayor of Campbell inspires Saratoga teens

The Saratoga Youth Commission hosted an inspirational lecture on April 7 at the Saratoga Civic Theater by Campbell city council member Evan Low, who told teens that youth involvement in government creates positive change in communities.

Low emphasized this point by telling the story of his own political journey, one which began after he completed his undergraduate studies in political science at San Jose State.

His senior class project was to run for city council, but at time he was unsure what serving on a city council truly entailed. So to learn more about government, he took a class called Asian American Studies and Government at De Anza College, taught by the first Asian American mayor in Cupertino.
Low said, “I went to a city council meeting. I looked at my city and I said [to myself] ‘there’s no representation for young people.’ Out of 15 cities in Santa Clara County, Campbell had the youngest population; the average age was 35.”

The young population was struggling with rents and leases so Low saw “real value” to bringing up the issue of affordable housing. By running for office, Low sought to represent the youth and his ideas of what was best for the community.

Low went door to door, but many residents had trouble taking his candidacy seriously. He later ran in 2004 at the age of 20 and lost by 1 percent.

“Folks then said, ‘You should have the city council appoint you to a board or commission. Rather than just running for office, you should work your way up and get the experience first.’”

Low applied to different boards and commissions eight times but was not appointed to any of them. Still determined to serve the community, Low ran again at age 23 and successfully became a city council member and soon became the youngest Asian American elected in the U.S.

Youth Commission chair Kia Fariba felt Low showed the audience that youth can have influence on major issues and bring about positive change by participating in government.

“Evan Low brought into perspective that we, the youth, can make difference in our community and inside the political arena,” Fariba said.

As former mayor and current council member, Low actively pursues issues such as housing, the environment and tackling Campbell’s budget problems. Low encourages young people to get involved in government to help improve their community and quality of life.

“There are policies in place that apply to you and unless you’re engaged and involved you won’t be able to have an impact,” Low said.

Freshman Anu Sreedhara was one of many students deeply motivated by Low’s words.

“I found it inspirational that even though many things were weighing him down, he kept walking towards his goal. He told all the teens that even though they are young they can accomplish a lot and that they are not only the future, but also the present.” Sreedhara said.

Saratoga mayor Howard Miller and council member Emily Lo joined Low on stage and talked about why they chose to get involved with government and how being an elected official is challenging but rewarding.

“I am the type of person who thinks that I can make a difference. I think we have a functioning council. We have [different opinions] but the key is that we can put these differences on the table, work out a solution and move forward,” Lo said.

Howard ran for city council as a way to collaboratively resolve issues and serve the community.

“What I thought was I can run for city council and I can make a difference help us improve our city in responsible and respectful ways,” Howard said.

Low, who is running for 2012 State Assembly, told the audience that being a politician is about giving back to the community. Low sees the State Assembly as a way of continuing public service and an opportunity to address different issues such as health care and education.

“I think it’s great that he’s running and he doesn’t think of it like a job. I think public service is a really unique way of thinking about it because that’s really what it is,” sophomore Sierra Smith said.