Silicon Valley Republican

Silicon Valley thrives because it reinvents itself, and we don’t let ideology prevent innovative solutions.

I grew up in California, where as the Eagles said, “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” I co-founded a tech startup that designed a powerful set-top box that would play every type of digital media thru our user interface called Couchware. It failed because we were too early.

How bipartisanship can change a community

In 2010, there were several empty car dealerships on El Camino Real for years, so I ran for Menlo Park City Council because I wanted to help figure out how downtown should be developed. The Council was made up of 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans, and we worked together on the city’s problems.

I was the first Mayor to submit a Housing Element for Menlo Park in 20 years. We knew then, there was a housing crisis.

I built credibility with my fellow Councilmembers as the “numbers guy”. In my first year, I proposed paying our unfunded pension liability for police, which wound saving taxpapers $4.6 million of future interest. I balanced the city budget every year I was on Council.

We changed empty car dealerships into transit-oriented-housing and development.

We changed warehouses into a live-work-play zone with thousands of apartments and Net Zero innovation workspace.

We opened senior housing and vet housing.

We funded and supported our Police Chief to implement community policing, with investigative tools and non-lethal tasers through Federal COPS grants. The Chief is now Santa Clara County’s Sheriff.

We fast-tracked the Guild Theatre renovation and are no longer “Menlo Dark”.

But my favorite was one very late evening, the city wanted to put buffered bike lanes on Oak Grove replacing on-street parking. Seniors from condos said they needed a loading space. I asked city staff if it were possible to add a curb cut, and they said it could. I asked the bicyclists if that was satisfactory to them, and they agreed. So we have bike lanes and one curb cut on Oak Grove.

Bio

Peter earned his BA in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

He is currently Vice President, Enterprise Incident Management, for a major bank. In 2019, he was appointed to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority Citizens Advisory Committee, learning about how transportation infrastructure in Silicon Valley gets funding.

When he is not working or serving the community, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their three kids.

Achievements

  • AB1690

    To give cities more flexibility implementing zoning for housing, Peter partnered with State Assemblyman Rich Gordon to introduce legislation (AB1690) which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Sacramento and was signed into law by Governor Brown.

  • AB2796

    As Executive Director of the California Resiliency Alliance, a non-profit public-private partnership, he brought businesses and government together to improve disaster resiliency statewide. Peter partnered with Assemblyman Pedro Nava to pass AB2796, which extended Good Samaritan liability protection to companies and non-profits that assist in disaster response.

  • Crisis Management

    California Emergency Services Association recognized Peter for his exceptional efforts in support of emergency management and preparedness. In 2009, he was awarded the Business Recovery Managers Association Award for Excellence.

  • Numbers Guy

    Peter balanced the city budget every year while on the City Council. In his first year, he proposed paying our unfunded pension liability for police, which wound saving taxpapers $4.6 million of future interest, and balanced the city’s budget during the great recession.

My dad said if he hadn’t been put in an internment camp (Manzanar), he wouldn’t have been able to go to Macalaster college on the GI bill.

He was a Sales Manager for Japan Airlines and moved our family to Menlo Park when he was transferred to San Jose.

I believe in community, compassion, and compromise