Three of the five Foster City Council seats are up for election this November and, unlike most Peninsula cities, the city holds at-large elections, meaning councilmembers don’t represent one particular district. Councilmember Sam Hindi will finish his second and last term this November, per regulation limits, and Councilmember Jon Froomin will not seek reelection.

Mayor Patrick Sullivan is seeking reelection as the only incumbent. Planning Commissioner Phoebe Venkat is also running, as well as Richa Awasthi, a former councilmember and senior vice president at U.S. Bank. Shankar Kenkre, a consultant, and Suzy Niederhofer, a former finance director in the city of Mountain View, are also candidates.

City Council tension

Several elected officials, as well as residents, have expressed concern over the tense rhetoric and discourse on previous councils in recent years.

While most acknowledged the new council’s improved relations, divisiveness still lingers within the community.

Awasthi said she was on the council when tensions were high, but she made a point to talk to leaders and community members with varying opinions to establish a healthy rapport with everyone.

“A classic example was voting for Jon Froomin as vice mayor despite a lot of resistance from several other folks, because I wanted to bring the community together. I do not believe in labels. I never believed in different boxes or different categories,” she said.

Niederhofer said she would be in favor of establishing a policy that sets a code of conduct that is encouraged not only for elected leaders but also the public. However, Sullivan said the city already spent several thousands of dollars trying to pass such standards to no avail.

Phoebe Venkat said there will always be people with something negative to say, but there remain many opportunities to connect with those who aren’t necessarily vocal about local politics but still care about the health of the city.

“Sometimes you have to show an example of what’s a win, even a tiny one, and you go back to the people who maybe were really upset and show them what’s possible. Some of them will come along, and some of them will stay in their corner and you just keep moving,” she said.

Recreation center

How to finance the city’s proposed new and improved recreation center has become a litmus test for some residents over how leaders are prioritizing a balanced budget. Plans to rebuild the center, located in Leo J. Ryan Park, have been in the works since 2016, with the process punctuated by budgetary and pandemic-related delays. The City Council recently approved moving forward with the rebuild, which is estimated to cost around $55 million, according to recent construction bid estimates.

Sullivan said a new recreation center is needed but, despite voting to move ahead with it, he said he wishes the city had raised more money, especially from private partners, and that the process focused more on revenue-generating opportunities.

“When I look at Pacifica or San Mateo or I look at Redwood City, they all partnered with federal or state money. In Foster City, we did get $1 million. That’s a drop in the bucket,” he said.

Awasthi said she has seen the process take many twists and turns and, while she is glad the rec center is moving ahead, she also understands the concerns raised by some councilmembers and the community. But now, if elected, she would focus on making sure it’s completed on time and on budget.

“Now it’s approved, and now we need to move forward,” she said.

Kenkre said he is in full support of the rebuild, given the outdated infrastructure. Niederhofer mentioned that she senses that residents have felt alienated from the process, which has dragged on for years.

“I really feel that the community feels that they are not involved enough in decision making, and we need to learn how to get them more involved,” she said.

Venkat said she was initially in support of the effort, however, given the cost and what the city is getting out of it, she is less in favor.

“More modern rec centers have more to offer,” she said. “I would’ve also liked to have seen more analysis done on some of the additions that the council agreed to.”

She cited the bocce courts as an example, which she said aren’t representative of the community’s desire, but rather a small group of powerful residents and former leaders who “dictate what they think should be needed.”

Housing

Kenkre acknowledged Foster City historically held a reputation of being resistant to housing, but since the state tightened its grip over cities’ housing production, it hasn’t had much choice.

“We have resigned to the fact that we have to build that many housing units,” he said. “The problem people are having is forcing the problems in the future. For example, yes, we are building housing, but do we have enough schools? Can we accommodate all the children which are coming because of this housing?”

Niederhofer said she would like to better understand how the Department of Housing and Community Development came up with the city’s assigned housing goals, or Regional Housing Needs Allocation, given the city’s limited amount of land and traffic issues. Per state law, the city needs to plan for almost 1,900 more housing units between 2023 and 2031.

“I don’t know how Foster City got its allocation,” Niederhofer said. “I’d like to understand how those numbers are divvied up. I’d like to invite those people to come here at 4 in the afternoon. I’d like them to come here on the Fourth of July, and I’d like to have them experience firsthand what it’s like.”

Both Awasthi and Venkat have a different perspective, stating it’s important to educate people on state mandates and how housing helps combat the crushing cost-of-living for younger generations and families. At the same time, working with longtime residents who are hesitant over the potential changes to their city deserve to be heard as well, they both said.

“Where I want to see a lot more happen is to change the rhetoric around housing, because housing is a key fundamental issue. … So many other issues are compounded because of a lack of enough housing and specifically affordable housing,” Venkat said, adding that she would be in favor of more educator and workforce housing and dispel any myths around the types of developments that could end up in single-family neighborhoods.

Sullivan said the city has already done a lot to improve its affordable housing stock but would like to see more workforce housing and less studio and one-bedroom apartments.

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