(CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA.) – Pratima Sonavne is running for Contra Costa County Clerk Recorder with promises to modernize the user experience and reinstate radical transparency.
The county clerk recorder handles everything from issuing marriage licenses to protecting property records to ensuring voter integrity.
Photo Credit: Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder
In an interview with OpGov.news reporter Molly Scheid, Sonavne elaborates on the immense importance of this position.
Photo Credit: Youtube
“When you get married, give birth, or say goodbye to a loved one - we are the keepers of the records. They aren’t just documents. They are proof of your existence and your rights in society.”
Her goal is that, when residents ask her, “Is this legal? Is this mine? And does my voice matter? The records I keep will provide an answer that is beyond reproach.”
Sonavne states that she will perform these duties at the clerk-recorder's office with radical transparency and promises to be “the custodian of truth.”
Photo Credit: Countonpratima
Scheid asks Sonavne how she will accomplish these goals.
Sonavne states that, unlike her opponent, Kristin B. Connelly's administration, which spent tax dollars on the ambassador program to “tell you that the system is safe,” Sonavne aims to build that trust through action.
Specifically, Sonavne plans to “move our records into visual ease” so that residents can search for things like “voting trends” or “property shifts in their town” easily on their own.
Sonavne also intends to launch workshops and a series of informative videos on topics like recognizing property fraud and explaining the importance of marriage licenses.
She views trust from residents as “something you earn by being an open book.”
Sonavne’s pledge to promote transparency is paired with her promise to make services more accessible.
“We must bring the office to the doorstep,” because “people aren't staying home because they don't care. They are staying home because they haven't been invited.”
If she had been the clerk recorder this year, Sonavne states she would have “launched pop-up clinics in our local libraries and communities” to make services more accessible.
Sonavne also plans to modernize the office’s technology to increase convenience.
“If you can’t file a document or check a registration from your phone while waiting for a bus, I think the system is broken. I will prioritize a mobile-friendly redesign of our portal under the mobile-first program I propose.”
Not only does modernizing the user experience create efficiency, but it also creates a system that values taxpayers’ time “as much as their vote,” Sonavne asserts.
Photo Credit: Countonpratima
“Too many simple tasks like getting a copy of a birth certificate or filing a small business name still require you to drive to Martinez,” she states, “This is a tax on your time.”
Scheid asks how Sonavne plans to ensure that non-English speaking residents in the diverse Contra Costa County will have equal access to all services.
Photo Credit: Youtube
Sonavne says she understands how language barriers lead to “missed deadlines, legal fees, and lost wages as well,” which is why she plans to “proactively translate all vital documents, marriage licenses, property records, and birth certificates.”
Additionally, the current outdated translators will be replaced with modern AI tools on their website to promote accessibility for all, Sonavne states.
“Whether you're a Spanish-speaking grandmother protecting your home from fraud or a Tagalog-speaking entrepreneur opening for your first shop, you should feel welcome and capable.”
Following Sonavne’s campaign propositions, Scheid asks how her background in HR and business will help her execute these goals as clerk recorder.
Sonavne explains that her background has prepared her to implement a human-centered, yet technologically-savvy approach in this position.
Photo Credit: Youtube
“In HR, I learned that you can have the best technology in the world, but if people behind the counter are burnt out,” Sonavne concludes, “the service suffers.”
Elaborating on this idea, Sonavne adds that when you come to their office, “You deserve a team that handles those movements with both efficiency and with heart.”
While she says her HR background equipped her with the tools to create an office based on empathy and efficiency, Sonavne states that her business background has taught her never to spend a single taxpayer dollar, “unless there is a clear return on that investment.”
Sonanve concludes by saying that if she had been serving as the current clerk this term, residents would have felt the office shift from acting as “a gatekeeper to one that acts like a service provider.”
And lastly, she shares that she will know she succeeded when “this office is so efficient and common sense that it becomes seamlessly a part of your life.”
If you would like to add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at mollyscheid7@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
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