Latika Malkani is the only candidate who’s said she will definitely run in the fall, but other potential City Council members will have to start the process soon – if only to begin raising the $10,000 to $30,000 necessary to mount a campaign.
With three seats on the Orinda City Council ballot in November, and a filing deadline in August, incumbents and potential candidates are beginning to seriously consider whether to mount a campaign in the fall.
One incumbent, Latika Malkani, has already decided. “I am planning to run for re-election,” she said. “I really look forward to it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the honor of serving Orinda.”
Malkani is the only candidate who has officially declared that she is running this November, though the filing date is not until Aug. 7.
Mayor Brandyn Iverson is “strongly leaning toward running,” but added “I’m undecided at this stage.”
Campaigns do require funding, and any candidate must consider how to raise the $10,000 to $30,000 typically spent on a city council bid.
Malkani, who spent nearly $30,000 on her successful campaign in 2022, said there is no set amount a candidate needs to raise and the amount needed really depends on how competitive the candidate feels the race becomes.
“We’ll see in July,” Malkani said.
Also up for re-election is Janet Riley, with Darlene Gee and Kara Hoxie in office until 2028.
“I am taking time to thoughtfully consider my next steps,” said Riley, “and will make a decision about running by early summer.”
Orinda’s elections have not been contentious is recent years, and “Orinda has more consensus than conflict when it comes to city issues,” said Iverson. That said, there are always issues that residents disagree on, though the adoption of the controversial Housing Element removed one topic of concern.
Downtown development, and the sales tax it might generate, has always been a focus for the council, said Iverson, and so is “fire resilience,” which includes issues surrounding wildfire danger, home insurance and evacuation routes in case of an emergency.
Another downtown issue is housing.
“Should we or shouldn’t we create housing downtown?” said Iverson. Some residents say, “we don’t want apartments since we are not Walnut Creek,” but more people downtown would spur development, which many would like to see.
And of course there are always more focused community concerns. Iverson mentioned a “noise ordinance for pickleball” and “no left turn on Ivy Drive” as issues that are much more local, but also can only be dealt with at the city level.
When asked about this consensus on the council, Malkani said “I think there is a lot of collaboration … we do try to reach consensus.”
Malkani, who served as mayor last year, said she is running in part to continue the recent progress the council has made on key issues including infrastructure, emergency preparedness and wildfire prevention and evacuation.
“These are the issues I feel like we have advanced,” Malkani said. She feels there is “more to do” on infrastructure improvements for issues such as drainage mapping, and public and private roads.
Often a city’s Planning Commission is a source of potential candidates, but at this point, none of the current commissioners said they were considering a run for City Council.
Candidates could emerge this summer, of course, as the election season heats up and the filing deadlines approach.
For more information about the upcoming elections, visit the city website at cityoforinda.gov/383/Election-Information.
