Sierra Club’s #1 Choice
for Albany City Council
I support Measure K. Measure K allows our emergency responders to better serve our community, Measure K replaces two existing measures and more equitably spreads the cost of providing emergency services.
Keep Moving Albany Forward
Check your mailboxes, ballots and Albany Forward mailers are arriving.
Keep Moving Albany Forward
I support Measure K. Measure K allows our emergency responders to better serve our community, Measure K replaces two existing measures and more equitably spreads the cost of providing emergency services. Keep Moving Albany Forward Check your mailboxes, ballots and Albany Forward mailers are arriving. Keep Moving Albany Forward
Look to the Future
As an urban designer, I work with communities to listen to all, look to the future and find common ground to move forward.
Let’s keep moving Albany Forward together, I would be honored to serve Albany as your City Council member.
“I appreciate what John Miki brought to the Traffic and Safety Commission not only professional knowledge but calm and kindness. Those are the qualities that I most value in a candidate.”
“Many say it, few do it. John Miki listens, then thinks, then finds solutions that work for everyone.”
“John is a long time resident of Albany who embraces and cares for the “Albany” culture and community. He cultivates trust and possesses insightful views of how to build a stronger community.”
“John has the expertise and the passion to do this job, but what has really impressed me working with him is how naturally he takes to communicating with members of our community. ”
“John’s approach to leadership embodies the 10 Key Values of the Green Party, in particular, his statement regarding nonviolence: “To move beyond the current state of violence in politics and the inability to have a dialog between opposing groups, we must start with empathy and trust. Empathy to take a moment and listen and hear where a person is coming from. Trust to understand that solutions can be found that are not winner takes all.” We endorse his candidacy for many reasons, but his note here sums them well.”
Endorsements
Ranked #1 Choice for Albany
Featured Endorsements
Sierra Club, Ranked #1 Choice for Albany
Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County
Citizens for the Albany Shoreline
League of Conservation Voters
Alameda County Democratic Party
Green Party of Alameda County, Ranked #2 Choice for Albany
Albany Democratic Club
Evolve California
11 Albany Mayors or City Council Members, current or former
5 School Board Presidents or Members, current or former
29 Albany Commissioners or Committee Members, current or former
Albany Inside Out Founders, Covid Parklet Program Advocates
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Sierra Club, Ranked #1 Choice for Albany
Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County
Citizens for the Albany Shoreline
League of Conservation Voters
Alameda County Democratic Party
Albany Democratic Club
Evolve California
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Preston Jordan, Mayor
Aaron Tiedemann, Vice Mayor
Peggy McQuaid, Council Member, Former Mayor
Rochelle Nason, Council Member, Former Mayor
Elizabeth Baker, Former Mayor
Michael Barnes, Former Council Member
Farid Javandel, Former Mayor
Robert Lieber, Former Mayor
Pete Maass, Former Mayor
Allan Maris, Former Mayor, Former Board of Education
Nick Pilch, Former Mayor
Sara Hinkley, School Board President
Vonnie Davidson, School Board Trustee
Brian Doss, School Board Trustee
Patricia Low, Former Albany School Board President
Kim Trutane, Former Albany School Board President
Gabe Quinto, El Cerrito Mayor
Paul Fadelli, El Cerrito City Council Member
Tessa Rudnick, El Cerrito Council Member
Dan Kalb, Oakland City Council Member
Jovanka Beckles, AC Transit Ward 1
*Titles are for identification only.
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Planning and Zoning Commission
Nick Pilch, Chair
Ian MacLeod, Vice Chair
Mohammad Momin
David Arkin, Former Chair
Transportation Commission
Ken McCroskey, Chair
Robert del Rosario
Farid Javandel
Zhuojian (Nelson) Peng
Harry Chomsky, Former
Lubov Mazur, Former
Nick Pilch, Former
Parks, Recreation & Open Space
Commissionrian Beall, Chair
Chris Kent, Vice Chair
Julia Chang Frank, also Voter Choice Albany Co-founder
Bryan Marten
Julia Price
Britt Tanner, Former Chair
Social and Economic Justice Commission
Jim Lindsay, Chair
Robin López
Flor Elizabeth Rios
Greg Downs, Former, and member of the Community Task Force on Policing
Bart Grossman, Former
Climate Action Committee
Eric Larson
Nick Peterson
Max Wei, Former Chair
Tom Cooper, Former Chair
Charter Review Committee
Kyle Bowman, Chair
Harry Chomsky
Robert Outis, Former
Community Media Access Committee
Ross Stapleton-Gray, Chair
Charles Newton
Financial Advisory Committee
Judy Kerr, Financial Advisory Committee
*Titles are for identification only.
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Helene Class, Founding Member of Albany SchoolCare
Vonnie Davidson, Albany Inside Out Co-Founder
Patricia Low, Former Albany School Board President
Eveline Shen, Voter Choice Albany Co-Founder
Amy Smolens, Albany Inside Out Co-Founder
Andrew Tang, Voter Choice Albany Co-Founder
Ellen Toomey, Albany FilmFest Co-Founder
Brigid (Kennedy) Acuña
Laura Allen
Jan Ambrosini
Tish Berlin
Momoko Campbell
Ron Campbell
Brooke Dubose
Abraham Elterman
Anne Goess
Kevin Goess
Margie Groeninger
Joseph Heidebrecht
Lori Hendrickson
Chris Hopkins
Michelle Hort
Cathy Huyen Tra
Dan Johnson
Dennis Keller
Tamara Keller
Rebecca Long
Mattison Ly
Christina Sun-Joo Lee
Cynthia Mah
Ali Mansour, Owner of Chez Mansour
Jennifer Mitchell
Alison Moore
Kirsten Negus
Sylvia Paull
Michael Primmer
Aaron Priven
Jesse Ragent
Stephanie Regni
Sherie Reineman
Albert Reinhardt
Carol Schumacher
Sokviro Sem
Neo Serafamidis
Ramesh Shrestha
Soo Sim
Jonathan Slack
Zack Sultan
Samon Vong
Céline Wallace
Margo Wecksler
David Wemmer
Buddy Williams
Lucinda Young
Gjergji Zyba
Sarah Zyba*Titles, where provided, are for identification only.
More info About Me
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In 2005 I moved to University Village with my young family to attend UC Berkeley. After receiving a Master’s in Urban Design, we loved Albany so much we were fortunate to be able to make our home here.
Our children have attended the following schools in Albany:
Albany Childrens Center
Oceanview Elementary
Marin Elementary
Albany Middle School
Albany High SchoolOur children participated in:
Albany Berkeley Soccer Club
Albany Little League
YMCA Youth and Government
Ohtani Basketball LeagueWe can often be found walking our dog Kashi along Solano Avenue or letting Kashi run free at Terrace Park.
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Bachelor of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon UniversityMaster of Urban Design
University of California Berkeley -
22 years working with communities as an urban designer.
Licensed Architect in California
[License #: C 35279]My work has focused on:
Safer streets for all users
Allowing diverse housing choice
Design Guidelines
Development Standards
Strengthening Main Streets
Community engagement
Consensus building
Worked in small and large communitiesHighlights
Created design guidelines for Richmond California's Heritage Homes. The design guidelines applied to the "One Nail MacGregor" homes and other homes built before the 1960's in Richmond. Guidelines can be found here. MacGregor built hundreds of homes in Albany as well, see Patch article.
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Climate Action Committee
Appointed to the Climate Action Committee August 2022
Transportation Commission
Starting in 2010 I put my professional experience to service for Albany by joining the Transportation Commission, formerly known as Traffic and Safety Commission. With fellow Commissioners and the public we crafted a plan to make Albany’s streets safer for all the ways people get around.
What I Stand For
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Increasing Safety on Our Streets for All
Albany is a community with a gridded network of streets that stitch together our neighborhoods, commercial corridors, schools and parks.
Over the past decade and a half the community has been working to create a more inclusive, safer and diverse set of mobility options. To meet our sustainability and resiliency goals Albany must continue to support and increase mobility options.
My commitment is to continue to look forward and craft a city that creates a safe environment that is open and inviting to people riding transit, driving electric vehicles, walking, pushing strollers and biking.
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Supporting Local Business
Albany has a vibrant Main Street in Solano Avenue and bustling services corridor in San Pablo Avenue.
To meet our common goals of a more sustainable and resilient Albany, our local businesses need the support and backing of the City to help address their pressing needs.
My commitment is to support working with local business to build upon and expand the parklets on Solano Avenue and finding ways to allow our local businesses along San Pablo Avenue to grow.
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Housing for Current and Future Albany Residents
Albany is composed of a rich mix of housing types across our neighborhoods.
To meet our goals for a more sustainable and resilient Albany, our supply of housing must become more diverse.
My Commitment is to craft policies and regulations that welcome new homes to Albany while maintaining the house-scale character of many of our neighborhoods.
Initiatives I led while on the Traffic and Safety Commission
Examples of “How What I Stand For” Apply to Albany
Making Streets Safer for All
As part of the Traffic and Safety Commission, I spearheaded efforts on the 800s block of Washington Ave to improve safety, make sidewalks more accessible,cut through traffic and preserve parking. I worked closely with staff to walk through the neighborhood and document the existing conditions.
Existing Washington Avenue, grey boxes indicate existing parking, purple indicates driveways and red indicates red curbs.
Concept improvements sketch I created for Washington Avenue and Gateview Avenue intersection.
Implementation at Washington Avenue and Gateview Avenue intersection, preserved parking, cut through traffic and made street safer for pedestrians.
Stepping Back and Looking at the Bigger Picture
In 2013 when UC Berkeley proposed the current Belmont Village and Sprouts Farmers Market, I championed looking at San Pablo in a wholistic way for all users and advocated for better transit access, a safer place to walk and safer bicycle facilities.
The bicycle facilities and pedestrian sidewalks will one day connect to the Buchanan/Marin sidewalk and bicycle facilities providing a safe way for people to move north along San Pablo Avenue and west to San Francisco Bay and Bay Trail.
2013 San Pablo Avenue sketch I created while on the Traffic and Safety Commission [now called the Transportation Commission]
San Pablo Avenue circa 2007
San Pablo Avenue today
Robin López, John Miki and Nick Pilch are teaming up to continue the fight against climate change, bring safety to our streets and make them more inviting for all, and work to make sure everyone has a place to live in Albany. With your help, we will make our transportation system more equitable, undertake the reforms needed to ensure economic and racial justice, and provide the community services and support Albany needs.
We are all three community and civic leaders who care deeply about the city where we live. We share common core values but bring our own perspective and ideas on how to move Albany Forward.
We look forward to building on the solid foundation of Albany’s many strengths, and collaborating with others in a City Council that is responsive to the concerns of all residents.
Although there are only 2 open City Council seats,
we have Ranked Choice Voting this election.
Albany Forward asks that you vote for Robin, John and Nick in the order of your preference. (*But do NOT rank all three of them as #1 because that will invalidate your vote.)
Why I choose to run with:
Robin López
Robin is a dedicate husband and father, who has given back to the communities he calls home for his entire adult life. His advocacy in Richmond impressed me from first day I met him. He has a long history of serving the community through mentoring and tutoring youth, working to help them actualize their potential no matter the barriers they may face. Robin has focused and dedicated his life to family, learning, research and service.
I am proud to be on the same slate as Robin.
Read more about Robin HERE.
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Nick Pilch
Nick is a long time advocate for Albany and for a more sustainable future for our community. His years of service and volunteering have help bring about tangible change in the community that has benefited all.
Nick is committed to bringing new voices to the table, he has done this by appointing a diverse group of commissioners and committee members during his two terms in office. He has continued this legacy by being an incredible advisor and mentor to me and Robin as we learn the ropes of what it means to run for office. For this, I will always be grateful to him.
I am proud to have him as a mentor and to be on the same slate as Nick.
Read more about Nick HERE.
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Yard Signs have Arrived!
