Welcome!

I'm Vamsi, and I'm running to represent the Willows, Suburban Park, Flood Triangle, and Lorelei Manor on Menlo Park City Council. I moved to Menlo right before my daughter was born, drawn by the community, schools, and tree-lined quality of life.

But after eight years of the same leadership in District 2, the City finds itself with significant challenges. We have not built enough affordable homes for struggling families, yet City Council missteps led to a pending skyscraper at the historic Sunset Magazine site. Our budgets are not balanced: annual structural deficits of $4 million a year have depleted reserves to amongst the lowest in San Mateo County and adversely affect critical city services. We are failing to secure practical help from the State, the County, and Meta, to address the challenges we face.

It's time for a fresh start for Menlo Park's future. We have 100+ endorsements so far, including the San Mateo County Democratic Party, the SMC Labor Council, County Supervisors, City Councilmembers and Commissioners, and neighbors across the District. Together, we are building a better plan: planning responsibly for growth, investing in our quality of life, and solving hard problems together.

Plan responsibly for growth

Advance affordable homes, so teachers, first responders, downtown employees, and growing families don't have to choose between putting down roots and making ends meet.
Revitalize our struggling downtown: new affordable homes to support local businesses, modern replacement parking, and fresh businesses to fill empty storefronts. And unlike my opponent, I endorse the No on Measure P campaign this November: Measure P aims to block affordable housing downtown and to tie the City's hands. We need these homes to revitalize downtown and we need a City Council enabled to make complex decisions.
Resist unwelcome 39-story skyscrapers at the historic Sunset Magazine campus on the delicate San Francisquito Creek. To prepare for this, we need to create fiscal headroom to fund potential litigation, secure specific help from our State representatives, and advance affordable homes elsewhere in the City to strengthen our case with the State.
Activate a traffic mitigation plan for the Willow/Middlefield/Bay Rd corridors, anticipating needed homes at the SRI, USGS, and Flood School sites.

Invest in our quality of life

Make meaningful investments, not cuts: safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians, climate leadership, responsive policing, reliable city services, enriching third spaces for kids and the community, and a growing tree canopy.
Ensure mega tech companies contribute more to the city they call home. This starts with reforming our outdated and regressive Business License Tax, which is capped at only $8000 a year.
Make it easier for homeowners to upgrade or electrify by streamlining the planning application process, espcially for "substandard lots" which make up half of current homes.

Solve hard problems together

Secure practical help from the State and the County, on topics ranging from responsible housing development, road infrastructure, and critical financing needs.
Invite Meta, our biggest employer, to the negotiating table to contribute to our housing and budget challenges, while helping our kids get off screens and outdoors. Unlike my opponent, a 10yr Meta employee, I don't have to recuse myself from specific discussions with Meta.
Push for term limits and transparent City Hall records and meetings, so critical decisions aren't made behind closed doors and Councilmembers remain accountable to you, the voters.
Tackle hard problems, not make excuses: asking for your vote means taking responsibility for what happens on my watch, not blaming others when things go sideways.

Menlo Park's best days are ahead if we make smart decisions today. As your neighbor, I'd be honored to earn your vote and get to work.