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Home My WebLink AboutItem 5.10 Mayor Appointment HCAC SCAC PCSC PC Unscheduled Vacancy STAFF REPORT CITY COUNCIL Page 1 of 2 Agenda Item 5.10 DATE: October 21, 2025 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers FROM: Colleen Tribby, City Manager SUBJECT: Mayor’s Appointment to Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission Alternate Unscheduled Vacancy, Senior Center Advisory Committee Alternate Unscheduled Vacancy, Parks and Community Services Commission Unscheduled Vacancy, and Planning Commission Unscheduled Vacancy Prepared by: Marsha Moore, MMC, City Clerk EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council will consider the Mayor’s appointment to fill alternate unscheduled vacancies on the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and Senior Center Advisory Committee and unscheduled vacancies on the Parks and Community Services Commission and the Planning Commission. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Confirm the Mayor’s appointment of Salim Razawi to the alternate unscheduled vacancy on the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission with a term ending December 2026, Namrata Berry to the alternate unscheduled vacancy on the Senior Center Advisory Committee with a term ending December 2026, Sumit Aneja to the unscheduled vacancy on the Parks and Community Services Commission with a term ending December 2028, and Margaret Simuro to the unscheduled vacancy on the Planning Commission with a term ending December 2026. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. DESCRIPTION: On July 15, 2025 alternates on the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission and Senior Center Advisory Committee were appointed to unscheduled vacancies on each body, leaving unscheduled vacancies in the alternate positions. Applicants from the previous recruitment posted on May 23, 2025 were offered the opportunity to be considered for the alternate positions. 197 Page 2 of 2 An unscheduled vacancy occurred on the Parks and Community Services Commission on August 19, 2025 and a notice seeking applications was posted on August 21, 2025, with a deadline of September 12, 2025. An unscheduled vacancy occurred on the Planning Commission on September 3, 2025 and a notice seeking applications was posted on September 8, 2025 with a deadline of September 26, 2025. Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission After reviewing applications from Jackson Berg, Paul Chang, Shubha Kandukoori, Sachin Khatter, and Salim Razawi, Mayor Hu selected Salim Razawi to fill the alternate unscheduled vacancy. Senior Center Advisory Committee After reviewing applications from Namrata Berry, Shubha Kandukoori, and Julia Nam, Mayor Hu selected Namrata Berry to fill the alternate unscheduled vacancy. Parks and Community Services Commission After reviewing applications from alternates Sumit Aneja and Pawan Sohi, and applications from Daniel Colley, Daniel Hor, Shubha Kandukoori, Sachin Khatter, Amarissa Koelling, Joshua Sevier, Horatio Ulescu, Debbie Wagner, and Wilfredo Yee, Mayor Hu selected Sumit Aneja to fill the unscheduled vacancy. Planning Commission After reviewing applications from alternates Suresh Puli and John Wu, and applications from Vijay Durga Reddy Annapureddy, Seema Badar, Jackson Berg, Courtney Chatman, Jeffrey Joh, Shubha Kandukoori, Sachin Khatter, Taylor Kim, Sridhar Komandur, Rui Ma, Vinod Metha, Julia Nam, Pejman Naraghi-Arani, Margaret Simuro, Antonio Ticsay, Chuck Wong, and Mina Yu, Mayor Hu selected Margaret Simuro to fill the unscheduled vacancy. STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE: None. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: The City Council Agenda was posted and applicants were notified. ATTACHMENTS: 1) Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission Applications 2) Senior Center Advisory Committee Applications 3) Parks and Community Services Commission Applications 4) Planning Commission Applications 198 Attachment 1 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 Attachment 2 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 Attachment 3 220 221 222 223 224 225 Parks and Community Services Commission Application The Parks and Community Services Commission is an advisory body to the City Council and City Staff. This Commission is made up of five members of the community who serve four-year staggered terms and one student representative who serves a one-year term. This Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council regarding the City facilities, parks, and recreational activities and programs. The Parks and Community Services Commission is part of the City’s Conflict of Interest Code, and if appointed, you will be required to fill out a disclosure statement which identifies certain financial interest beginning with the immediate twelve-month period prior to your appointment (FPPC Form 700) and attend Ethics Training. The Parks and Community Services Commission Bylaws and Rules of Procedure govern the meetings and activities of the Commission. To browse past Agendas and Minutes for the Commission, visit the City's Online Records Portal. Date Time * 9/11/2025 First Name * Daniel Last Name * Hor Address * Street Address Address Line 2 City Dublin State/Province/Region CA Postal/Zip Code 94568 Country United States Phone (Primary)*Phone (Secondary) E-mail * How long have you been a resident of Dublin?* 4+ Have you participated in Inside Dublin?* Yes No If yes, what year? Are you a Lobbyist?* Measure JJ, the Government Accountability Act, approved by the voters in November 2024 prohibits commissioners from being lobbyists. 226 Yes No Application Questions What knowledge do you have of the programs offered through the Parks and Community Services Department? Have you or a family member participated in a program sponsored by the Department? The department oﬀers a wide range of recreational, educational, and community-oriented programs and services. These include things like coordinating the oﬀerings within in the seasonal activity guides; planning various festivals and events (e.g. St Patrick’s Day, Splatter, the new night market); managing our various parks, trails, and facilities (e.g. The Wave); and art & community programs (e.g. public art murals & displays, People of the Parks). Yes, my family and I have enjoyed many of these programs and facilities since moving to Dublin 4+ years ago. For instance, we march in the St Patrick’s Day parade every year as part of our daughter ’s school contingent (fun fact: I’ve been the school mascot for 2 years), and we greatly enjoy the food and vendor market after the parade. We also participated in the Shamrock 5K Fun Run this year and hope to make it an annual tradition. I’ve also signed up my daughter for many of the youth sports and arts classes through the activity guide; and we’ve also participated as a family in many holiday events listed there, like the Ghosts of Dublin graveyard tour, and Breakfast with Santa. We’ve also been to The Wave many times – almost every summer! How do you feel about user fees for recreation programs and park/facility reservations? In an ideal world, I’d prefer for our core facilities and programs to be oﬀered free, or at minimal charge, especially for Dublin residents. While I understand that we need money to pay for upkeep and other needs, I’d point out that we do pay for them through our taxes. There is also a philosophical consideration where we can decide as a community what things we value enough to oﬀer as public goods at low to no cost for the beneﬁt of all, especially to those who are less able to aﬀord them. Not everything should be seen through just cost perspectives. That said, I also understand the need for some balance in oﬀering free services and charging for things, especially value-added options. For example, while I would lean more towards having free-to-low charges for entry to The Wave, I’d be more open to charging for facility rentals, like reserving cabanas at The Wave or picnic areas at our various parks. How do you feel about making a decision for the overall good of the community but unpopular with neighbors, residents, or organizations? Making “unpopular decisions”, if justiﬁable and is truly in the best interests of the community, isn’t something I’d shy away from. Leaders should strive to make the best decisions for all, especially if they have additional information and insight that outsiders do not. Leadership shouldn’t be seen as a popularity contest where the aim is to please people without regard to the actual impact of the decisions that are made. On the other hand, leading is also not about making decisions without regard for other people’s views. Leaders should be transparent and seek to understand diﬀerent perspectives, especially for contentious issues. What is the most important contribution you can make as a member of the Parks and Community Services Commission? I am a user experience researcher by profession. In my job, I use data and user research to inform decision-making for systems and services. In a nutshell, I know how to make things easier and better for people. But leading and making decisions on issues that impact people isn’t just about reading numbers and facts in a cold, calculated way. My background, including a previous career in communications, has given me great people-centric perspectives, empathy, and soft skills to work collaboratively with others, as well as understanding the value of hearing from the people whom we serve. Why are you interested in serving on the Parks and Community Services Commission? My family and I have enjoyed living here, in part due to the many facilities, services, and events that the Parks and Community Services Department manages. Dublin is our home and I want to do my part to help serve our community and give back to our city. And what better way to do that than to step up to answer a call to ﬁll an unexpected vacancy on commission and work to further improve the same facilities, services, and events that my family and I have grown to love? In what organizations are you currently a member? Please list. I am an active participant in the Parent-Faculty Club of Murray Elementary (where our daughter attends), and have volunteered in many of the PFC’s and the school’s community and fundraising activities. I am also a member of the Dublin USD’s Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, an independent citizen body that oversees the spending of bond funds for major school projects in our city. Additionally, I was recently on the Parks and Community Services Department’s Art Selection Committee for the new mural art by our library – an engagement that I enjoyed contributing towards. 227 What knowledge do you have of the City-owned community facilities in Dublin, such as the Dublin Senior Center, Shannon Community Center, or The Wave? Have you or a family member rented facilities with the City of Dublin? I am familiar with all 3 of those facilities, having attended events at all of them and, with The Wave, enjoyed family outings there during the summer. We have not had the opportunity to rent facilities with the city, but only because we didn’t need to. However, I’m certainly familiar with the concept and have attended events where others have rented facilities, whether a hall at the Senior Center to host a school event, or picnic facilities for a birthday party at a local park, or something else. How can the City provide better equity and inclusion to all persons that use our parks, trails, and facilities, and access our programs? As I had implied in my earlier response, public goods and facilities would be more inclusive and open for all if they were free (like our public parks) or more aﬀordable (especially to residents). Cost is always a major consideration and barrier. Other ways we can prioritize equity and inclusion can be things like ensuring facilities are more easily accessible and welcoming to people of diﬀerent cultures and national origins, as Dublin has a signiﬁcant and diverse immigrant population. This might mean ensuring that language isn’t a major barrier, or that we provide a welcoming and safe environment for people who might have diﬀerent beliefs or backgrounds. Similarly, we should also consider aspects like accessibility, age, and sexual orientation, to ensure that no one in our community feels left out. That said, I am happy to see as an ordinary resident that the city already implements many of these considerations in what it does. 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 Parks and Community Services Commission Application The Parks and Community Services Commission is an advisory body to the City Council and City Staff. This Commission is made up of five members of the community who serve four-year staggered terms and one student representative who serves a one-year term. This Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council regarding the City facilities, parks, and recreational activities and programs. The Parks and Community Services Commission is part of the City’s Conflict of Interest Code, and if appointed, you will be required to fill out a disclosure statement which identifies certain financial interest beginning with the immediate twelve-month period prior to your appointment (FPPC Form 700) and attend Ethics Training. The Parks and Community Services Commission Bylaws and Rules of Procedure govern the meetings and activities of the Commission. To browse past Agendas and Minutes for the Commission, visit the City's Online Records Portal. Date Time * 11/15/2024 First Name * Pawan Last Name * Sohi Address * Street Address Address Line 2 City Dublin State/Province/Region CA Postal/Zip Code 94568 Country United States Phone (Primary)*Phone (Secondary) E-mail * How long have you been a resident of Dublin?* 10 Have you participated in Inside Dublin?*If yes, what year? 241 Yes No Application Questions What knowledge do you have of the programs offered through the Parks and Community Services Department? Have you or a family member participated in a program sponsored by the Department? Yes, I do have knowledge about the program and utlize the services. How do you feel about user fees for recreation programs and park/facility reservations? It depends, this should not be applicable for all facilities and programs but does need to be there for few others. City has to be selective about the same How do you feel about making a decision for the overall good of the community but unpopular with neighbors, residents, or organizations? If its right for the community and beneﬁt in the log run, this can be made. What is the most important contribution you can make as a member of the Parks and Community Services Commission? Volunteer and run volunteer programs to help support parks in the east bay Why are you interested in serving on the Parks and Community Services Commission? I'm passionate about the outdoors and belivee there is so much to learn from them. Besides engaging with the community is very beneﬁcial for the health and well being of the city. In what organizations are you currently a member? Please list. none while I'm full time employed What knowledge do you have of the City-owned community facilities in Dublin, such as the Dublin Senior Center, Shannon Community Center, or The Wave? Have you or a family member rented facilities with the City of Dublin? yes I'm aware of these and have rented some of the parks and other facilities How can the City provide better equity and inclusion to all persons that use our parks, trails, and facilities, and access our programs? There are many ideas and programs that can be run in colloboration with volunteer organisation as well as schools, senior centres 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 �• Planning Commission Application DUBLIN CALIFORNIA The Planning Commission is an advisory body to the City Council The Planning Commission is made up of seven community members, including five Planning Commissioners who serve four-year terms, and two Alternate Planning Commissioners who serve two-year terms. The duties and powers of the Planning Commission are spelled out in Chapter 2.12 of the Dublin Municipal Code and include the power to perform duties in reference to Planning, Zoning, and land use, and to make recommendations, for City Council approval, of the following: A comprehensive, long term General Plan for the physical development of the City and land within the City's sphere of influence; Development plans which are consistent with the General Plan; and Regulations, programs, and ordinances as required for the systematic implementation of the General Plan. Rules for conducting Planning Commission Meetings have been established to provide a framework for running Planning Commission meetings, maintaining decorum, and ensuring opportunities for members of the public to address the Planning Commission. These rules have been adopted in accordance with the Dublin Municipal Code (Chapter 2.12.040.C). The Planning Commission is required under state law to fill out a disclosure statement which identifies certain financial interest beginning with the immediate twelve-month period prior to your appointment (FPPC Form 700) and attend Ethics Training. Learn more about the Planning Commission Date Time* 9/10/2025 First Name* Margaret Address* Street Address Address Line 2 City Dublin Postal/Zip Code 94583 Phone (Primary)* E-mail* How long have you been a resident of Dublin?* 17 Have you participated in Inside Dublin?* Yes No Last Name* Simuro State/Province/Region CA Country United States Phone (Secondary) If yes, what year? 11 yrs ago Attachment 4 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305