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Pleasanton resident and business advocate Reena Gupta launched her campaign for the City Council District 3 seat a bit differently than typical candidates.
Instead of letting people know what issues she thinks should be prioritized by the council, she is letting the people help decide what her priorities should be if elected this November.
“I want to help ensure Pleasanton remains a place where our children can build their futures and one day raise families of their own,” Gupta said. “That means strengthening our economy, protecting our quality of life, and working together to solve today’s challenges while preparing Pleasanton for tomorrow.”
She becomes the second person to join the race to succeed Councilmember Julie Testa in representing District 3 on the city’s southwest side. Former Pleasanton school board Trustee Jamie Yee announced her council bid in April.
Gupta moved to Pleasanton in 2011 as an immigrant from India. She credits her “passion for community” to her upbringing in her native country where she grew up under a “multigenerational household with four families and 21 cousins living under one roof”.
“Living with so many people taught me that everyone brings different perspectives, but the best solutions come when we listen to one another, collaborate and work toward a shared goal,” Gupta said. “That’s the kind of leadership I want to bring to Pleasanton.”
Gupta is a small business owner, a technology entrepreneur and an author who also advocated for more women returning to the work force through her Mom Relaunch Foundation, which has “helped over 250 women rebuild their professional lives”.
Aside from her business ventures, Gupta has also spent years supporting efforts to improve the city’s economy through her involvement in the Economic Vitality Committee, where she helped develop the city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan. It was during that time where she heard from several people that she should throw her name in the race for a City Council seat.
But for a long time, she felt it wasn’t the right moment to do so. That, however, changed this year when not only did she see the need for someone like her in public office, but there was now an open seat with Testa terming out.
After deciding she was going to run, Gupta said she decided to begin her candidacy campaign a bit differently than most other candidates. She started asking residents a simple question: “Do you know what’s happening at city hall and how it impacts your daily life?”
“Most people tell me, ‘Not really,'” Gupta said in her press release. “That convinced me the first step isn’t asking people for votes. It’s making it easier for people to understand what’s happening, share their ideas and become part of the conversation.”
She said that’s why she created a community engagement platform which provides easy-to-read summaries of what is going on during upcoming City Council meetings and where people can voice their concerns and opinions. She uses artificial intelligence to summarize all of those concerns and brings them to the City Council meetings where she then reads them during public comment.
She told the Pleasanton Weekly that even if she doesn’t get elected, one of her main goals throughout her campaign is to increase civic engagement. In fact, the only thing she is currently using to promote herself are these business cards which have a QR code that takes people to her community engagement platform.
“My goal is to start serving before I’m elected,” Gupta said. “My vision is to foster collaboration among residents, businesses, nonprofits, city staff and my fellow councilmembers so that together we can solve problems, make better decisions and build a stronger future.”
Gupta’s other biggest objective, if elected, is economic vitality. She said Pleasanton has a lot of assets — the Stoneridge Shopping Center, business parks, hotels — that are being underutilized. So, instead of pursuing things like tax increases, she said the city needs to focus on activating those assets which would in turn attract more visitors, more businesses and more revenue.
“A strong economy and vibrant communities are not competing goals,” Gupta said. “One makes the other possible.”
More information on Gupta’s platform will be available soon on her campaign website, www.reenaforpleasanton.com.
