If you’ve been to the Marketplace, Crow Canyon Commons, or City Center recently, you know that San Ramon has an excessive number of empty storefronts, which makes our commercial spaces feel less vibrant and means the city loses out on sales tax revenue that could make the municipal budget more sustainable. Luckily, these vacancies can be filled through well-designed policy change that incentivizes commercial landlords to fill vacancies. At the same time, San Ramon does not have a historical preservation ordinance, which is a policy I will push for as City Councilmember.

• Incentivize commercial landlords to fill empty retail units by taxing them on retail units left vacant for more than 180 days in a year, helping make our commercial spaces fuller and more vibrant, inspired by policy previously passed in San Francisco that has successfully reduced the number of retail vacancies.
• Establish a $21/hour city minimum wage by 2030. San Ramon has never had a city-wide minimum wage, lagging behind dozens of our fellow Bay Area cities. As City Councilmember, I will propose a minimum wage on par with other Bay Area cities, including yearly adjustments for inflation.
  
• Pass San Ramon’s first-ever historic preservation ordinance. This would include the creation of a historic preservation commission, which would then establish a register for designated historic sites among other policies to preserve our city’s heritage.
• Pass rent stabilization and just-cause eviction requirements for historic businesses that meet criteria established by the new Historic Preservation Commission, which would provide stability for historic businesses and prevent price-gouging in rents. This policy could have helped historic businesses like the recently closed Brass Door, which closed after 80 years of operation because they were unable to secure a renewal on their lease, according to a Danville/San Ramon article [click for link].