Kathy Says...
I have been deeply honored to serve as your City Councilmember in Pleasanton for the past five years, and I’m excited about the opportunity to serve our community for four more years.
Like many cities in and around the Bay Area, Pleasanton is facing change within our city's boundaries and throughout the region. Many of these changes are positive. We are becoming a more diverse community, enabling us to learn more about the world around us, and have developed partnerships in regional, state and federal government that allow us to advocate for protecting the quality of life within our city limits.
I am proud to work on behalf of a community that understands we are better and stronger when we stand together. I am running for re-election to serve a second term not only because I want to finish what I started, but to help us navigate the many critical decisions that have yet to be made.
Experience in local government matters, and to date I have almost two decades' worth of time spent on local and regional issues. At present, I serve on 12 local and regional task forces and committees, covering a range of issues impacting all of us: transportation, regional development, schools, mosquito abatement, and the environment to name a few.
Thank you for allowing me to represent you these past five years on the Pleasanton City Council. I promise to continue listening to your concerns, working on your behalf, and would be honored for your support of my re-election efforts.
I look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to reach out with questions or comments by clicking on the Contact Kathy page.
Kathy Narum
Pleasanton City Councilmember since 2013
Experience Matters
For nearly 20 years, I have dedicated myself to this community, serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission, and most recently, on the City Council.
I believe my track record and length of service demonstrates my long-lasting commitment to a life of public service and to my Pleasanton community. I pledge to continue working to preserve our amazing quality of life. It’s no surprise we are consistently ranked in the top 10 for livability from several sources and have received numerous other awards & recognitions, but we know that doesn’t happen by accident.
What Matters to You Matters to Me
I have listened to you as you’ve shared your comments and concerns with me over the years. I understand what matters to you, and what matters to you matters to me.
Here are some of the issues that I will be paying particular attention to these next four years:
Quality of Life—As a state, California now ranks as the fifth largest economy in the world, and a recent study concluded that if the Bay Area were a country, it would rank nineteenth. But such success presents its own set of challenges that can threaten our quality of life. Too much traffic, not enough affordable housing, concerns over air quality and water supply are issues that must be addressed in order to sustain our quality of life. Each of us has a responsibility to work on these issues in our local communities, and even though there is no quick fix, I will continue to focus on what matters to Pleasanton residents.
Fiscal Sustainability—Maintaining a balanced budget with an appropriate rainy day reserve has been essential to sustaining our programs and services and ensuring our quality of life. Recently, we created a new investment strategy to maximize our investment earnings for the City’s pension fund that covers unfunded liabilities. This new investment strategy will allow us to maintain our services and programs while simultaneously allowing us to pay off our long-term pension obligations
Environment—One of the City Council’s priorities has been to update the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which focuses on ways to improve our alternative modes of transportation and allow people to travel more safely on City streets. We funded green bike lanes and are improving intersections such as Bernal/Stanley as part of our overall program to keep bicyclists safe, and I look forward to working on more projects that improve the health of our environment.
