For a safe, livable, and affordable Redwood City
(Español abajo)
Dear Neighbor:
I am thrilled to announce I am running for Redwood City Council District 2 where I have lived in Downtown and now call Centennial home. Because of my experience and passion for a Redwood City that supports residents of all ages, I've earned the support of Mayor Giselle Hale, Assembly members Kevin Mullin and Marc Berman, Supervisor Warren Slocum and local leaders to keep Redwood City a safe, livable, and affordable community for all residents.
District 2 is the beating heart of Redwood City. Encompassing Downtown, Centennial, and part of Mt. Carmel, our District is home to our community’s most diverse neighborhoods, treasured small businesses, and bustling transit corridors, like Caltrain, El Camino Real, and Broadway. On the Council, my top priority will be to keep Downtown, Centennial, and Mt. Carmel clean, safe, and vibrant.
Community service is my passion. I was first called to service as an organizer and advocate, where I fought to provide relocation assistance, allow ADU or “granny flat” units for family members, and secure deeply affordable apartments for our community’s most vulnerable residents.
I served on the City’s Transportation Advisory Committee, where I drew on my experience as a regular transit rider to evaluate and promote solutions to ease traffic congestion and make our streets safer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike.
I’ve dedicated my career to increasing affordable housing. I work for a local nonprofit affordable housing organization that manages affordable homes throughout the Peninsula and facilitates an innovative home sharing program. On the council, I’ll expand these types of programs to improve housing affordability.
My priorities are the District’s priorities: maintaining a safe and vibrant downtown, ending homelessness, and creating more affordable housing.
These issues will not be solved overnight. Nor will they be solved by the Council alone. Engaging directly with you, our neighbors, is the best way to tackle our most pressing challenges. I'm a consensus builder whose leadership will be guided by my core values– respect, collaboration, and the belief that each resident has something to offer our incredible community. I rent my home in the Centennial neighborhood of Redwood City and grew up here on the Peninsula. Your community is my community, and I will fight for you.
I humbly ask for your vote on November 8 and look forward to getting to know you over the course of this campaign.
Estimados vecinos:
Me complace anunciar mi candidatura para el Distrito 2 del consejo municipal de Redwood City He vivido en el centro de nuestra ciudad y ahora puedo llamar Centenial mi hogar.
Gracias a mi experiencia y pasión por un Redwood City que apoya y respeta los residentes de cada generación, me he ganado el apoyo de la alcaldesa Giselle Hale, los asambleístas Berman y Mullin, y líderes locales que desean mantener a Redwood City como una comunidad segura, habitable, y asequible para todos los residentes.
El Distrito 2 es el corazón palpitante de Redwood City. Abarcando el centro, Centennial y parte de Mt. Carmel, nuestro Distrito es el hogar de los vecindarios más diversos de nuestra comunidad, pequeñas empresas, corredores de transporte bulliciosos, como Caltrain, El Camino Real y Broadway.
En el Concejo, mi máxima prioridad será mantener el Centro, Centennial y Mt. Carmel limpios, seguros y vibrantes.
El servicio comunitario es mi pasión. Primero me llamaron para servir como organizador y defensor, donde luché para brindar asistencia para la reubicación de familias sin hogar, permitir la construcción de unidades ADU o "unidades para nuestros parientes mayores" o miembros de la familia y asegurar apartamentos muy asequibles para los residentes más vulnerables de nuestra comunidad.
Serví en el Comité Asesor de Transporte de la Ciudad, donde aproveché mi experiencia como pasajero habitual del transporte público para evaluar y promover soluciones para aliviar la congestión del tráfico y hacer que nuestras calles sean más seguras para ciclistas, peatones y conductores por igual.
He dedicado mi carrera a aumentar la vivienda de bajo costo. Trabajo para una organización local de viviendas asequibles sin fines de lucro que administra viviendas accesibles en toda la península y facilita un innovador programa de viviendas compartidas. En el consejo, ampliaré este tipo de programas para mejorar la asequibilidad de la vivienda y acabar con la falta de casa de habitación.
Mis prioridades son mantener un centro vibrante, terminar con la falta de vivienda y crear viviendas de bajo costo.
Estos problemas no se resolverán de la noche a la mañana, tampoco serán resueltos por el Consejo solamente.
Comprometerse directamente con ustedes, nuestros vecinos, es la mejor manera de abordar los desafíos más apremiantes. Mi liderazgo estará guiado por valores fundamentales: respeto, colaboración y la creencia de que cada residente tiene algo que ofrecer a nuestra increíble comunidad.
Soy inquilino en el vecindario Centennial de Redwood City y crecí aquí en la Península. Su comunidad es mi comunidad y lucharé por ustedes..
Les pido humildemente su voto el 8 de noviembre y espero conocerlos en el transcurso de esta campaña.
Assemblymember Kevin Mullin
Chris grew up here. He knows our community. But more importantly, he’s taken meaningful action to address the challenges we face. He has a true servant’s heart and the experience to match. I’m proud to endorse him.
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Mayor Giselle Hale
Redwood City's Downtown is the pride of the Peninsula. I trust no one more to keep it a safe and vibrant place than Chris. He will listen to our neighbors and ensure that Redwood City small businesses and residents thrive.
Assemblymember Marc Berman
Chris will be a champion for affordable housing on the Council. As a renter and employee of an affordable housing nonprofit, he will bring an important firsthand perspective to the Council.
District 2 Priorities
Safe and Vibrant Downtown
As a hub of art, food, culture, and civic life, Downtown Redwood City is the pride of the Peninsula and the success of Downtown is inextricably linked to the quality of life in Centennial and Mt. Carmel neighborhoods. Downtown was my home before I moved to the Centennial neighborhood, and I loved every part of it. But since the pandemic, we’ve seen deepening challenges downtown. Longtime small businesses have shuttered for good. People of all ages feel unsafe walking down the street and patronizing businesses. And homelessness has continued to get worse. Despite these challenges, I believe we can solve them. The same collaborative spirit that created downtown can also renew it. On the Council, I will ensure that Downtown remains a safe and vibrant place for all to live, play, and work.
Housing Affordability
It’s simple: there are not enough homes for the people who need them. Redwood City, and especially District 2, has led the way in building more homes, but we need to do more. On the City Council, I will advocate for the creation of more homes, especially affordable homes, throughout the entire City and not just in District 2. I’ll negotiate with office developers to include affordable housing in their proposals. I will encourage the City to use housing impact fees to acquire and preserve existing affordable housing stock to prevent displacement. And I will work with my colleagues to make social housing a reality here in Redwood City.
Ending Homelessness
District 2 is experiencing the highest levels of homelessness in our City’s history. Our community’s most vulnerable need compassionate solutions now more than ever that address the root causes of homelessness, and protect the quality of life for all people living in the city. On the City Council I will make it my mission to ensure that no one will ever again need to sleep on the street or in their cars in Redwood City which is good for everyone in District 2. First, we need to prevent families from losing their homes by preserving existing affordable housing, creating new affordable homes, and expanding the City’s emergency rental assistance program to prevent defaulted payments. Second, we need to place unhoused families into stable, permanent homes by pushing developers to create extremely affordable housing and by exploring innovative solutions like social housing. To ensure folks remain in their homes, I will seek out partnerships with nonprofits and public agencies to provide clothing, food, and employment assistance, so individuals can be successful in the long term.
Reducing Traffic
We all want to spend less time in our cars and more time doing things that matter with the people we care about. Transportation is in my DNA: my father worked for Amtrak for 39 years, including decades as a conductor on Caltrain, and I grew up taking the train. Even today, I bike and take transit daily. I am the only candidate in the race with experience working on transportation issues as a member of the Transportation Advisory Committee. I worked to ensure the city conducted bilingual outreach regarding critical transportation projects that affect the community such as grade separation, shared microbility services (i.e. e-scooters), and the renewal of our transit district. On the Council, I will reduce traffic congestion by ensuring that street improvement projects get completed on time, pushing developers to adopt strong transportation plans, advocating for grade separation, and improving road safety to reach our City’s goal to eliminate traffic-related deaths.
Preventing Budget Cuts
With one-time State COVID-19 aid ending this year, the City faces an estimated budget deficit of $52.5M over the next five years. This means that the essential services our community relies on like police, fire, libraries and parks may face steep service cuts and understaffing challenges: libraries will close earlier and emergency response times will be longer. The City also faces a $360M shortfall in funding for important capital projects like the Downtown Parks and Bay Connectivity Project, the Woodside/101 interchange, Caltrain grade separation at key intersections like Whipple Avenue, and road safety enhancements. On the Council, I will push the City to make fiscally responsible choices to avoid cuts to the most important City services and aggressively pursue ways to raise revenue, without imposing new taxes on residents.
Protecting our Climate
We are witnessing with our own eyes the consequences of a changing climate. With wildfires threatening lives and homes, we need to take immediate action to address our climate emergency. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Redwood City is from transportation. I will work to invest in quality public transit and bicycle infrastructure with efficient and affordable last-mile connections and work to expand EV charging stations. I will plan for climate resiliency by working collaboratively with local agencies including CAL FIRE to ensure that homes in fire prone areas are protected. I will protect our remaining open space and work with regional partner agencies to restore wetlands along the city’s waterfront to protect against sea-level rise. I will encourage water conservation and recycling measures in new developments and the completion of the City’s recycled “purple water” infrastructure. Together, we can adapt to the changing climate and protect our homes and loved ones.
Endorsements
Elected Officials
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
Assemblymember Marc Berman
Assemblymember Kevin Mullin
Mayor Giselle Hale, Redwood City
Councilmember Alicia Aguirre, Redwood City
Councilmember Elmer Martinez, Redwood City
Councilmember Jeff Gee, Redwood City
Supervisor Warren Slocum
Supervisor Don Horsley
Trustee Carrie DuBois, Sequoia Union High School District
Trustee Mike Wells, Redwood City Elementary School District
Trustee Cecilia Márquez, Redwood City Elementary School District
Mayor Lucas Ramirez, City of Mountain View
Councilmember Laura Parmer-Lohan, San Carlos
Councilmember Amourence Lee, San Mateo
Trustee Chelsea Bonini, San Mateo County Board of Education
Board President Clayton Koo, Jefferson Elementary School District
Dani Gasparini, Former Mayor of Redwood City
John Seybert, Former Mayor of Redwood City
Shelly Masur, Former Mayor of Redwood City
Community Groups
Democrats
San Mateo County Democratic Party
San Mateo County Latinx Democrats
San Mateo County Stonewall Democrats
Labor
San Mateo County Labor Council
San Mateo Building and Construction Trades Council
San Mateo County Firefighters (IAFF #2400)
Redwood City Firefighters Association
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #617
Carpenters #217
United Food and Commercial Workers #5
Housing Organizations
Housing Action Coalition
Peninsula for Everyone
Civil Rights Organizations
Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte
Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee
Equality California
Commissioners and Community Leaders
Isabella Chu, Redwood City Planning Commissioner
Kimberly Koch, Redwood City Planning Commissioner
LaShonda Kennedy, Redwood City Transportation Advisory Committee Former Chair
Patricia Seith, Redwood City Transportation Advisory Committee Member
Barb Valley, Redwood City Senior Affairs Commissioner
Craig Wiesner, San Mateo County LGBTQ Commissioner
Rocsana Enriquez , Belmont Planning Commissioner
Nicole Fernandez, Chair Emeritus of the San Mateo County Democratic Party
Dr. Gary Waddell, Interim Superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District
*All titles are included for identification purposes
