Mayor, small business owner, educator, and neighbor. Pranita Venkatesh is running for City Council to keep San Carlos safe, affordable, and welcoming for every family.
I'm Pranita Venkatesh, Mayor of San Carlos, a small business owner, educator, wife, and mom. San Carlos has been my family's home since 2009, and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the community that has given us so much.
I immigrated to California from Fiji when I was four years old. I grew up watching my parents work incredibly hard to build a life for our family. They taught me the values that continue to guide me today: work hard, stay humble, treat people with kindness, and speak up when something isn't right.
For more than 30 years, I have worked with children and families. As the owner and director of Paragon Montessori, I understand firsthand the challenges facing parents, educators, and small businesses. As a mom, I also understand how important it is to build a community where every child and every family has the opportunity to thrive.
Since joining the San Carlos City Council, I have focused on practical, thoughtful leadership — keeping our community safe, supporting local businesses, expanding affordable housing options, investing in our parks and public spaces, addressing transportation, protecting our fiscal health, and making sure residents have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape our city.
San Carlos is more than where I live. It's where my family put down roots, where I built my business, and where I've had the privilege of serving my neighbors. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together, and I'm excited about what comes next.
Five priorities, drawn from three decades of working with San Carlos families and years of hands-on service on the Council.
Public safety comes first. Continuing strong partnerships with our Sheriff's Office, Fire Department, schools, and neighborhoods, while investing in safer streets and the tools needed to protect our community.
Expanding affordable and workforce housing options so teachers, first responders, seniors, and young families can afford to stay in San Carlos — while making sure new growth accounts for traffic, infrastructure, public safety, and neighborhood character.
Great parks and gathering spaces make a great community. Continuing investment in parks, fields, recreation, aquatics, and community facilities, with major investments kept fiscally responsible.
Every public dollar matters. Asking tough questions, protecting our financial stability, maintaining healthy reserves, and making responsible long-term investments in San Carlos.
Proud to have helped bring Lunar New Year and Diwali into our community celebrations — including a Lunar New Year event that drew more than 250 neighbors together to celebrate who we are.
San Carlos only works if teachers, firefighters, nurses, retirees, and young families can actually afford to live here. As a small business owner and a mom, Pranita has seen how quickly rising costs can push longtime residents and workers out of the community they helped build. On the Council, she has supported creating housing opportunities across a range of price points — including deed-restricted affordable units and workforce housing near transit — while working closely with neighbors to make sure new development respects the character of existing neighborhoods, doesn't overwhelm local streets, and pays its fair share toward parks, schools, and infrastructure. Her approach is straightforward: plan carefully, listen to residents first, and measure every housing decision against whether it actually helps a San Carlos family stay in San Carlos.
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San Mateo Democratic PartyAshruti Gupta · Bob Bollier · Carla Leibowitz · Dan Schmidt · David Hiroshima · David Leibowitz · Dean Ballback · Divya Mittal · Jessica Khosravy · Linda Sheu · Madhurar Kumar · Moe Khosravy · Pooja Mehra · Purnima Renjen · Sailesh Mehra · Sara Ryan · Shuchi Mehra · Susan Rose · Suresh Renjen · Tina Hiroshima · Twisha Anand
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