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Peter Ohtaki
Peter Ohtaki (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 16th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.
Ohtaki completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Peter Ohtaki was born in Menlo Park, California. Ohtaki graduated from Woodside High School. He earned a B.A. in economics from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Ohtaki's career experience includes working as the vice president of enterprise incident management of a bank and as the executive director of the California Resiliency Alliance. He served as the board president of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board of Directors.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: California's 16th Congressional District election, 2024
California's 16th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 16
Sam Liccardo defeated Evan Low in the general election for U.S. House California District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sam Liccardo (D) | 58.2 | 179,583 |
 | Evan Low (D)  | 41.8 | 128,893 | |
| Total votes: 308,476 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 16
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 16 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Liccardo (D) | 21.1 | 38,492 |
| ✔ | | Evan Low (D) | 16.6 | 30,261 |
 | Joe Simitian (D) | 16.6 | 30,256 | |
 | Peter Ohtaki (R) | 12.8 | 23,283 | |
 | Peter Dixon (D) | 8.1 | 14,677 | |
 | Rishi Kumar (D) | 6.8 | 12,383 | |
| Karl Ryan (R) | 6.3 | 11,563 | ||
 | Julie Lythcott-Haims (D) | 6.2 | 11,386 | |
 | Ahmed Mostafa (D) | 3.2 | 5,814 | |
 | Greg Tanaka (D) | 1.3 | 2,421 | |
 | Joby Bernstein (D) | 0.9 | 1,652 | |
| Total votes: 182,188 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Evan Bell (D)
- Nickesh Viswanathan (No party preference)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ohtaki in this election.
2022
See also: California's 16th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 16
Incumbent Anna Eshoo defeated Rishi Kumar in the general election for U.S. House California District 16 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anna Eshoo (D) | 57.8 | 139,235 |
| Rishi Kumar (D) | 42.2 | 101,772 | |
| Total votes: 241,007 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 16
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 16 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anna Eshoo (D) | 47.9 | 81,100 |
| ✔ | | Rishi Kumar (D) | 15.6 | 26,438 |
| Peter Ohtaki (R) | 12.6 | 21,354 | |
 | Richard Fox (R) | 7.8 | 13,187 | |
 | Ajwang Rading (D) | 6.7 | 11,418 | |
| Greg Tanaka (D) | 6.6 | 11,107 | |
 | Benjamin Solomon (R) | 1.6 | 2,659 | |
 | John Karl Fredrich (Independent) | 1.3 | 2,120 | |
| Travis Odekirk (D) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 169,385 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2020
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 24
Incumbent Marc Berman defeated Peter Ohtaki in the general election for California State Assembly District 24 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Marc Berman (D) | 73.4 | 158,250 |
| Peter Ohtaki (R) | 26.6 | 57,216 | |
| Total votes: 215,466 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 24
Incumbent Marc Berman and Peter Ohtaki defeated Kennita Watson in the primary for California State Assembly District 24 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Marc Berman (D) | 74.2 | 99,642 |
| ✔ | | Peter Ohtaki (R) | 21.2 | 28,408 |
 | Kennita Watson (L) | 4.6 | 6,212 | |
| Total votes: 134,262 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.[2] Incumbent Rich Gordon (D) did not seek re-election.
Marc Berman defeated Vicki Veenker in the California State Assembly District 24 general election.[3][4]
| California State Assembly, District 24 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Marc Berman |
54.43% | 92,419 | |
| Democratic | Vicki Veenker | 45.57% | 77,362 | |
| Total Votes | 169,781 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
The following candidates ran in the California State Assembly District 24 Blanket primary.[5][6]
| California State Assembly, District 24 Blanket Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Marc Berman |
28.15% | 30,649 | |
| Democratic | Vicki Veenker |
22.23% | 24,201 | |
| Republican | Peter Ohtaki | 19.77% | 21,525 | |
| Democratic | Barry Chang | 10.92% | 11,890 | |
| Democratic | Mike Kasperzak | 10.42% | 11,343 | |
| Libertarian | John M. Inks | 4.18% | 4,546 | |
| Independent | Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera | 2.39% | 2,603 | |
| Democratic | Sea Reddy | 1.93% | 2,102 | |
| Total Votes | 108,859 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Peter Ohtaki completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ohtaki's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Local Leadership • Former Mayor, Menlo Park Councilmember • San Mateo County Transportation Agency Advisory Committee • President, Menlo Park Fire District Board of Directors
National/Homeland Security • Co-Chair, National Infrastructure Protection Plan, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security • Executive Director, California Resiliency Alliance • Business Executives for National Security
Economics/Finance • Crisis management executive for major bank • Co-Founder/CFO of a tech startup • Harvard BA Economics, Stanford MBA Finance
- I’m running because I’m fed up that Congress is broken. It’s so polarized that each party is obsessed with making the other party look bad, rather than solve major issues facing our nation! We deserve better representation. Most other candidates are career politicians who tow their party line and dare not risk reaching across the aisle. Partisan gridlock rules, so major issues go unsolved. Most Americans are in the sensible middle yet have no voice in Congress. Voting for a career politician will only continue gridlock in Congress. I grew up here - Silicon Valley thrives because it reinvents itself, and we don’t let ideology prevent innovative solutions. I’ll work across the aisle on innovative solutions to issues facing our nation,
- Pick Peter if inflation has caused you to live paycheck to paycheck. Do I pay for groceries or gas to get to work? This isn't just about numbers; it's about real struggles. Inflation not only erodes our quality of life, but also had made it even harder for small businesses to survive. With an economics degree from Harvard, I know deficit spending over the last 15 years has caused inflation. Federal debt was $16 trillion before the pandemic and is now $35 Trillion – more than our annual GNP. Interest payments will exceed defense spending next year. It’s about analyzing which programs work, and cutting those that don’t. Congress doesn’t understand financial analysis! As a "numbers guy", I've balanced budgets and made tough decisions.
- Pick Peter to ensure our nation’s security, and to stand by Israel against Iran-backed terrorists. Pick Peter to secure our border as part of comprehensive immigration reform. For our national security, we must stand by Israel against Iran-backed terrorists. History shows this conflict is part of a much broader conflict between Iran, who funds and equips Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi terrorist armies, all determined to eliminate Israel. The U.S. must act as a deterrent to Iran and Hezbollah to prevent this war from escalating throughout the Middle East. Israel has a right to defend itself after the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 – 50 years after Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. There’s no question that I
Pick Peter if inflation has caused you to live paycheck to paycheck.
Pick Peter if you’re worried about rising crime and fentanyl overdoses. Pick Peter if you support common sense gun laws.
Pick Peter to ensure our nation’s security, and to stand by Israel against Iran-backed terrorists. Pick Peter to secure our border as part of comprehensive immigration reform.
Pick Peter if you believe climate incentives are more powerful than mandates.
Pick Peter so Asians have a voice.
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.
Campaign website
Ohtaki’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Fed up with Congress? Congress is broken, and we deserve better. Career politicians tow their party line and dare not risk reaching across the aisle. Partisan gridlock rules, so major issues go unsolved. Most Americans are in the sensible middle yet have no voice in Congress. Voting for a career politician will only continue gridlock in Congress. I grew up here - Silicon Valley thrives because it reinvents itself, and we don’t let ideology prevent innovative solutions. I have experience in finance, national/homeland security, and community leadership. I co-founded a tech start-up and a non-profit. I hold an economics degree from Harvard, and an MBA in Finance from Stanford. Pick Peter if you’re frustrated about partisan gridlock in Washington, DC. I’ll work across the aisle on innovative solutions to the issues facing our nation, as I did as Menlo Park’s Mayor. Pick Peter if inflation has caused you to live paycheck to paycheck. Pick Peter if you’re worried about rising crime and fentanyl overdoses. Pick Peter if you support common sense gun laws. Pick Peter to ensure our nation’s security, and to stand by Israel against Iran-backed terrorists. Pick Peter to secure our border as part of comprehensive immigration reform. Pick Peter if you believe climate incentives are more powerful than mandates. Pick Peter so Asian-Americans have a voice in Congress.[7] |
” |
| —Peter Ohtaki’s campaign website (2024)[8] | ||
2022
Peter Ohtaki did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Ohtaki's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
As your Congressional Representative, I will:
|
” |
| —Peter Ohtaki's campaign website (2022)[9] | ||
2020
Peter Ohtaki completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ohtaki's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Peter was elected to the Menlo Park City Council in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. In 2013 and 2018, he additionally served as Mayor. After years of deficits, Peter helped balance Menlo Park's budget in 2011 by paying down an unfunded pension liability that was costing about $800k each year, saving taxpayers $3.6 million in interest expense. He proposed a compromise to balance the city's 2015-16 budget, earning the reputation as the "numbers guy" and a bi-partisan problem solver.
As Mayor in 2013, Peter led the city's first Housing Element since 1994, which enabled 1,134 housing units including the first apartments built in Menlo Park since the 1970s. He worked with downtown businesses to approve the El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan that is now building housing and office space on decade-long empty car dealership lots and transforming the Guild Theater into a music venue.
As Mayor in 2018, Peter led the rezoning and revitalization of the light industrial/warehouse Bayfront area into a live-work-play innovation zone. Peter worked with Rich Gordon on legislation (AB1690) that gives cities more flexibility in implementing housing that was signed into law in 2014.- Stuck in traffic? Peninsula/Valley traffic mitigation? Instead of using the state's $20 billion budget surplus to fund much-needed transportation infrastructure, Sacramento leadership raised your gas tax (SB1), tolls (RM2), and sales taxes in both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. And Sacramento continues to spend $64 billion for high-speed rail to Bakersfield when most people want to get to work and drop off their kids at soccer practice easier..
- Sacramento is eroding our local control. SB50 and bills like it will override local zoning to impose 5-story apartments that will dramatically change the character of our communities. State mandates for high-density housing will require our schools to add classrooms, but Sacramento has yet to provide funding for school construction, not to mention additional teachers.
- Sacramento's experiment with "re-alignment" by releasing and transferring prisoners to counties has resulted in increasing burglaries and thefts, burdening police, threatening our safety, and tarnishing our quality of life on the Peninsula.
Local control - I believe our cities and counties have the best engagement with residents and are better suited than the state to solve problems like housing, homelessness, and crime.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House California District 16 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Peter Ohtaki for Congress CA District 16, "About," accessed May 16, 2022
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Peter Ohtaki for Congress, “Issues,” accessed February 12, 2024
- ↑ Peter Ohtaki for Congress CA District 16, “Home,” accessed May 10, 2022
