Karla Brown (Mayor of Pleasanton, California, candidate 2024)

Karla Brown

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Mayor of Pleasanton

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Armijo High School

Bachelor's

San José State University, 1981

Personal

Birthplace

Napa, Calif.

Profession

Mayor

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Karla Brown ran for election to the Mayor of Pleasanton in California. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Karla Brown provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 11, 2024:

• Birth place: Napa, California
• High school: Armijo High School
• Bachelor's: San Jose State University, 1981
• Gender: Female
• Profession: Mayor
• Prior offices held:
  • Mayor (2020-Prsnt)
  • City Councilmember (2012-2020)
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign slogan: Your Voice for Pleasanton

Elections

General election

General election for Mayor of Pleasanton

Jack Balch and Karla Brown ran in the general election for Mayor of Pleasanton on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Jack Balch (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Karla Brown (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brown in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Karla Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

During my 4 years as Pleasanton’s Mayor, I have led our city through COVID recovery, protected us from water contamination, and approved a responsible budget with significantly reduced expenses.

I have helped to secure millions in Regional, State and Federal funding to improve Pleasanton's roads, support mental health, and improve water quality.

A recent poll reaffirmed 12 years of leadership have paid off--over 90% agree Pleasanton is a safe city and an excellent/good place to live.

As mayor, I will continue to (1) Prevent over-development using “smart growth” policies that shaped our award-winning city. (2) Secure new safe drinking water supplies. (3) Prioritize critical budget items, while delivering essential community services. (4) Support Fire and Police personnel that keep us safe. (5) Clean Money Campaign promise- I will reject donations from builders and developers that may aim to influence votes.

As Mayor, work Full-Time as I serve on 10 regional boards to garner valuable funding and services for Pleasanton.

I am a 25+ year resident who has volunteered at PUSD schools, coached RAGE soccer, helped with food distribution, supported cancer recovery programs, and more.

Under my leadership, Pleasanton is a safe, beautiful, highly desirable city surrounded by scenic ridgelines.

For more information go to: www.Vote4Karla.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Over 90% of Pleasanton residents ranked Pleasanton as a SAFE city and an Excellent/good place to live. Cite: 2023 city sponsored survey by FM3 Research.
• I reject campaign funds from Builders and Developers that may try to buy influence. I will meet with them to develop a better project, but I serve our residents.
• Pleasanton's drinking water is free from PFAS/Teflon materials - so it is both Clean and Safe. Water is key to our health. After testing showed teflon/PFAS in parts per trillion in our drinking water, proactive steps were taken immediately to ensure the utmost in safety.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about Clean Safe Drinking Water, Housing that meets our State mandates yet fits within our community, and Sound Fiscal policies that provide essential services for our residents.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Kamala Harris, she has broken so many glass ceilings. She remains composed under stress and she is articulate and prepared for all situations.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As an Elected official, I listen to all sides of an issue, then decide what is best for the community as a whole. I think about our residents without heavy influence from builders or developers.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I truly care about our residents and our community. No family member or business is funding my re-election campaign. I am here for the people.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Being a Mayor is a job filled with learning, listening and caring about others. I have learned about technical issues in drinking water, buses and routes, landfill, sewer, roads, infrastructure, budgets, capital budgets, enterprise accounts, highway express lanes, and more.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Before I was elected, I gathered signatures for a ballot initiative for Pleasanton's Permanent Ridgeline Protections. We went to the ballot and it passed, protecting all of our ridgelines forever.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Man landing on the moon.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at McDonalds during college.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I work too many hours because I am a bit of a perfectionist.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

I want to inspire others to serve their community. As President Kennedy stated in his inaugural address in 1961, "Ask not what your country can do for you, instead, ask what you can do for your country." As the 2nd female Mayor in our city's 130 years, I continue to inspire girls to step up and be a leader.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

Listen to our residents, be their voice in city government. Bring issues to our staff and our city manager. They should not operate in a vacuum.

What do you love most about your city?

We are a clean and friendly city. People are happy to live here and they are proud of our community.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Financial challenges related to funding infrastructure and paying for employee pensions is key to our future.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

Too often the State wants to paint all city's with the same brush. Each city is different, and local government knows that better than state representatives. So we need open communication and feedback from the city's what we can accomplish.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

At certain times, federal funds are needed for large projects and clean up projects.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I did not know how a boomerang worked, ah... and then it hit me.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor's office and law enforcement?

Support and respect for the job each of us does for our community is critically important. Let's not second guess the others.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

State Senator Steve Glazer

Chair of the Alameda County Supervisors, Nate Miley
Alameda County Supervisor, David Haubert
Livermore Pleasanton Fire, IAFF 1974
Frank Brandes, Mayor (Pleasanton)*
Julie Testa, Vice Mayor (Pleasanton)
Jeff Nibert, Councilmember (Pleasanton)
Valerie Arkin, Councilmember (Pleasanton)
Debora Allen, BART Board member
Laurene Green, Zone 7 Board member
Sarah Palmer, Zone 7 Board member
Catherine Brown, Zone 7 Board member
Kelly Mokashi, PUSD Board member
Jerry McNerney, US Assemblymember*
Teamsters Local 70
Karen Stepper, Mayor (Danville)
Lily Mei, Mayor (Fremont)
Karen Stepper, Mayor (Danville)
Carol Dutra-Vernaci, Mayor (Union City)
Mark Salinas, Mayor (Hayward)

Dave Hudson, Mayor (San Ramon)

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency is key to good government. We are spending the tax payer's money, and they should have access to the information if they are interested. We must also think about government finance with a wide lens. Someone may not value a bike path, but highly value a bus route. We must serve as many as possible with limited funds.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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