About Chirag Kathrani
Chirag Kathrani
San Ramon, City Council District 2
I've called San Ramon home since 2011 As a parent, neighbor, and community volunteer, I've seen firsthand what our city gets right — and where we can do better.
Since my last run for Mayor of San Ramon in 2024, I have seen how the city is functioning and largely documented the unheard voices of San Ramon through my Open Governance platform (OpGov.News)
I have learned that when the leaders do not engage the community their participation drops significantly.
In 2022, I began campaigning for candidates I considered thoughtful on environmental concerns, and went on to support many others in amplifying their voices in the community.
By 2024, a deeper problem became clear: the Mayor of San Ramon was running unchallenged, and so was another council member. Rather than stand by, I decided to run for Mayor myself. To me, uncontested races are a symptom of deep community disengagement — and that concerned me greatly.
After losing, what I witnessed made things worse. The council ignored 11,031 votes and appointed their own ally — someone who had not even considered running when the seat was going unchallenged. Even more troubling, a council member had already signaled before the appointment who they intended to select. That is not governance; it is corruption.
That experience became a turning point. I launched the Open Governance Initiative with one core commitment: no race should go unchallenged. This term, every council seat has a challenger — as promised.
By 2024, a deeper problem became clear: the Mayor of San Ramon was running unchallenged, and so was another council member. Rather than stand by, I decided to run for Mayor myself. To me, uncontested races are a symptom of deep community disengagement — and that concerned me greatly.
After losing, what I witnessed made things worse. The council ignored 11,031 votes and appointed their own ally — someone who had not even considered running when the seat was going unchallenged. Even more troubling, a council member had already signaled before the appointment who they intended to select. That is not governance; it is corruption.
That experience became a turning point. I launched the Open Governance Initiative with one core commitment: no race should go unchallenged. This term, every council seat has a challenger — as promised.