Foster City getting 2 new councilmembers

“I’m thrilled and humbled by the confidence that Foster City residents put in me,” Jimenez said. “I’m excited.”

Jimenez was surprised by how well she had done in initial results, calling it a fun election night after several months of campaigning. She has knocked on doors throughout Foster City for her campaign to understand resident concerns, including housing, one of the main issues in the race. Jimenez said many residents appreciated her moderate views on housing and preserving parks and amenities while noting the city must approve housing to keep local control. Jimenez has advocated for creating low-income and workforce housing to ease the housing crisis while maintaining parks and recreation areas intact.

“The fact that Art and I came out on top was interesting and spoke to people’s fears about what housing is going to look like,” Jimenez said.

Foster City will see a significant increase this cycle from 2023-2031 in its Regional Housing Needs Allocation. The allocations are mandated by the Association of Bay Area Governments to meet state housing law. ABAG requires a city to plan for the development of additional housing units and remove constraints to growth, increasing opportunities for housing development and units. The current RHNA cycle of 2023-2031 calls for 1,896 units to Foster City, a 341% increase from Foster City’s last cycle of 430, concerning residents.

Jimenez said her goal on the council is to listen to staff and residents and learn while prioritizing certifying the city’s housing element, addressing a potential budget deficit and replacing the current recreation center.

For Kiesel, he has felt anxiety the last few weeks as election officials counted the votes, but he is now ready to dive into details on the issues to define problems and solutions for the city. Kiesel previously served multiple terms as a Foster City councilmember and is back for another go. He has extensive political experience, serving on the Foster City Planning Commission and as a League of California Cities board member. Some of his biggest issues are addressing state-mandated housing laws, the city’s projected budget deficit and fixing infrastructure. Kiesel said he is not against housing but instead wants to manage it in a way that fits Foster City. He is concerned about finding places to have housing in the city’s 4 square miles, noting the RHNA cycle following the 2023 to 2031 cycle could be even worse. Kiesel said the biggest concern he heard from residents was the housing issue and how it would affect the city around traffic and infrastructure.

“With SB 9 and 10 and other housing-related bills that have come down from Sacramento have been pushing on the local communities, and it’s not a one size fits all,” Kiesel said.