Photo Credit: Emma Chigbu
(SAN RAMON, Calif.) – When Emma Chigbu entered the San Ramon mayoral race as a student at Diablo Valley College, her decision to run began with a central question: "Is there any tangible way I can get involved?” Coming from a non-political background, Chigbu’s run for mayor reflects the larger role she hopes young people will play in local politics.
In an interview with OpGov.News, Emma Chigbu spoke about her platform, including topics like housing and transportation, transparency, and getting the community involved.
When asked about the central idea behind her platform, Chigbu explained that she wants to strengthen neighborhood ties and prioritize the families that make up the community. She said that her priorities come from an understanding that “San Ramon is a city of families,” and she wants to keep that same cultural spirit alive, and, “visible through San Ramon’s beautiful parks and open spaces.”
Photo Credit: Instagram / @chigbu4mayor
Simultaneously, Chigbu advocates for a plan to “expand affordable housing and look into adding new housing in vacant spaces.” While doing this, she said she will ensure that new developments still fit the character of San Ramon.
As previously reported by OpGov.News, discussions about housing in San Ramon have raised questions about balancing regional growth with preserving the city’s suburban identity. Local planning commissions and community forums have emphasized the need for more diverse, affordable housing options, with proposed developments and projects often receiving resident criticism and scrutiny regarding traffic impacts, environmental concerns, and worries about the shift in community scale. However, Chigbu maintains that San Ramon needs additional growth, and that bringing new families to the community is of significant importance.
Transportation is another area where Chigbu sees room for improvement. She identified the need for equitable access to transportation for the community and said that, as mayor, she will be “looking into public transport, especially in areas without direct access to buses.”
When asked what she would do differently from the current mayoral administration, Chigbu pointed to communication and transparency, an issue that was recently raised at the City Council. Chigbu argued that residents are often excluded from local decisions, and emphasized the importance of what she called “intentional informing” by local government, saying that currently, “San Ramon residents are not being invited into the conversation and their community.”
This gets to the core of Chigbu’s campaign, a broader goal of encouraging civic participation among young residents. When asked about a broad shift she’d like to see in the landscape of local government, she explained, “I want young people to feel empowered to be included in local politics.”
Chigbu emphasized that inclusion in local politics is “not…just running for office,” but rather, a broad range of participatory acts. She advised young residents to engage in local politics in “any way…whether that be attending local city council meetings or campaigning for a local issue.”
Through her campaign for San Ramon mayor, Chigbu aims not only to foster a community dedicated to local families, but also to encourage a broader cultural shift toward greater civic participation, in which all residents feel they have a voice in the future of San Ramon.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at alizeh.i@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below with your thoughts.
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