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Pleasanton City Councilmember Julie Testa confirmed on Tuesday that she would be running for re-election in November, this time vying to represent City Council District 3 upon the city’s conversion to district-based elections.
Testa, a longtime community advocate for city planning and school overcrowding, was elected to the council at-large in November 2018 and served as vice mayor in 2021.
Some of Testa’s priorities for a new term, according to her campaign statement, would be positioning resident interests over special interests; protecting Pleasanton’s historic downtown, small-town character and excellent livability; and supporting public safety resources.
“Over 30 years ago my husband and I moved to Pleasanton to raise our family,” Testa said in a news release. “I love belonging to a ‘village’ where neighbors care, truly care, helping and sharing with each other. My role on the council is to retain what we value in our amazing community for our next generation of families.”
The Nov. 8 election will be Pleasanton’s first in a district-based format for City Council seats. District 3 represents the southwestern part of the city, including where Testa resides. Joel Liu, chair of the city’s Committee on Energy and the Environment, is challenging Testa for the District 3 position.
According to her news release, Testa said she is working on a statewide effort to push back on housing growth mandates that “threaten the careful balance of infrastructure and services that make Pleasanton wonderful.”
“The state has mandated exponential housing growth across the state. Pleasanton is committed to reasonable growth focusing on needed low-income housing, but we can and must push back on state overreach,” Testa said. “I ask residents to join me in a statewide effort to retain local authority.”
Her other priorities include improving schools, public safety, water quality and conservation, and fiscal responsibility.
Something that Testa said she was most proud of was her contribution and advocacy for the alternative crisis response program. Set to launch this month, the program will designate mental health clinicians to accompany police officers who respond to calls for help when a person is experiencing a mental health crisis.
“This program frees officers to perform law enforcement responsibilities while supporting our residents with positive outcomes,” Testa said. “The program is a win-win for everyone involved — those in crisis, their families, our outstanding first responders and all Pleasanton residents.”
Testa has lived in Pleasanton for the last 34 years where she served on the city’s Human Services Commission for 11 years. She was also a board member for Tri-Valley REACH, an organization that provides housing opportunities to adults with developmental disabilities, and the Tri-Valley chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Testa represents Pleasanton on more than 10 regional boards and subcommittees, including the East Bay Division of the League of California Cities and the Tri-Valley Affordable Housing Committee.
Apart from serving on the City Council, she owns and runs a small business with her husband, Nick, according to her bio page on the city website. She has three sons who all attended Pleasanton schools and are now University of California grads.
To learn more about Testa and her campaign, visit JulieTesta.com — however her campaign website is not yet active as of Tuesday.
I am so happy to see Julie running for council in the new District 3 election. Like others in this district we are fiscally conservative and socially diverse in thought and action. Those of us in the new district could not have been assigned a better council member for our community at large.
Julie Testa voted to remove one million dollars from the rainy-day reserve fund. That vote was not “fiscally conservative.”
Testa is not “assigned” as council member in district 3. It is necessary that she be elected to serve as council member from district 3.
The next council member elected from district 3 for Pleasanton city council will not be an “at large” representative. That council member will be district 3 representative.
Glad to see Julie Testa running again, I support her position on slow growth. Definitely has my support
Michael, looks like you have a bone to pick from days gone bye……I know Julie and she is a fiscal conservative, period. What district are you and your comments representing? I live in District 3 and will support Julie in this new district as well as folks in the neighborhood and adjoining Do you live in District 3? otherwise it’s for the folks that live within our community keep these opinions to the district and “not at large” as you have mentioned. Thx for the clarification.
When the Pleasanton city council meets, they are representing me, you and everyone else in this city.
I can campaign against, and I can campaign for any candidate, in any district. It is not necessary I live in the district where the candidate resides.
I will campaign for the best qualified candidate to be elected to the Pleasanton city council that will be in all four districts.
I am so glad Julie Testa will run for City Council once more. She truly speaks for the residents of this community. I applaud her efforts to have mental health counselors work closely with the police, to ensure our city addresses its carbon reduction goal (she reminded city council of this pledge when the police wanted to purchase gas-powered vehicles) and her interest in water conservation and housing.
I am very happy and look forward to having Julie represent not just her district, but residents in all of Pleasanton. Contrary to the “usual suspects” posting here every day with their own agenda, Julie Testa has accomplished much for this city. She is very focused on saying “No” to the State’s improperly calculated numbers* for mandated new housing units. Julie is also very concerned with the quality of Pleasanton’s water.
* Through an audit, after Julie helped to put pressure for such, calculations have been proven to be done incorrectly.
Julie, and to a lesser extent Karla, is responsible for the exit of so many senior staff members. Watch the disrespect she shows in public to staff and you will get a good sense of why. Reelect her, and the exodus will continue. Good luck, Pleasanton.
The auditors report indicates that the RHNA numbers in question contained errors in methodology resulting in calculations that were too LOW. Thus MORE units are needed, not less. That is the opposite of the result inferred by Ndna Jnz.
Let’s put the link out here so people can read for themselves: https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2021-125/index.html
@Kathleen Ruegsegger thanks.
Will she support and actively push for our overdue Cosco store ? No one on council is giving an update ??
keeknlinda: I see no inference to lower or higher RHNA numbers in my statement regarding the audit findings. My implication is that their calculations are incorrect, and therefore, their numbers are wrong. Either way, a quick read of the audit finds multiple issues in calculating the needs assessments, and not just in the methodology; in addition to their own shortcomings, the required data points obtained from the Dept of Finance were not conducted in a proper study or obtained from formal recommendations from experts it consulted. The bottom line is, the Dept of Finance will reevaluate its assumptions when more 2020 Census data becomes available later this year. “…but without such efforts, Finance cannot ensure that it is providing the most appropriate information to HCD.” Both of these departments should get their act together.
“She truly speaks for the residents of this community. I applaud her efforts to have mental health counselors work closely with the police, to ensure our city addresses its carbon reduction goal (she reminded city council of this pledge when the police wanted to purchase gas-powered vehicles) and her interest in water conservation and housing.”
Speak for yourself. I don’t applaud her endorsement Pamela Price for Alameda County DA. Some of us do not want another Chesa Boudin/George Gascon type DA that is more concerned about criminals/letting them go vs. victims. What does this tell you about Testa’s judgment regarding “supporting public safety”? Carbon reduction goal? This resident has had enough of the high energy prices and “flex alerts” (rolling blackouts) in this state. The last thing we need are more climate mandates/surcharges to electrify buildings/cars. We need additional water resources, not more micromanaging conservation measures. You can’t conserve your way out of new/increased water requirements for additional housing.
@MichaelB,
“We need additional water resources, not more micromanaging conservation measures.”
You are misunderstanding the game. If we add additional water resources we take away an important reason to restrict development. We won’t be able to claim there is insufficient water to support new housing development.
I applaud you ‘MichaelB’ for addressing those issues. This ‘Climate Religion’ has turned into a cult. I can just see Pleasanton PD running out of ‘battery power’ chasing a suspect.
I agree with you ‘Patriots’ about Costco- they don’t want it. You manage the things you want to succeed, so I wonder (because their silent) if it is ever going to happen.
Lastly, and pay attention, because this is important: Pleasanton Weekly refuses to report on the gafs, questionable campaign violations, and disrespecting fellow representative (Republican Rep Boebert- a female) by attacking her on Twitter, but refuses to speak with her in person. This guy is an embarrassment to our community. He continues to push bogus issues as he did with Russia, Russia, Russia. Can the Democrats in the Tri-Valley at least pick a Congressman who demonstrates the characteristics of an adult who has class, ethics, dignity, and respect. It’s the least we Republicans can ask for. She/He doesn’t need to be a genius, because that would be asking too much.