‘Santa Clara needs more civic engagement’
Born and raised in India, this is 43-year-old Poornima Gopi’s first run for office. “This is my very first interview. And this is my very first time running for anything,” says Gopi, with a calm enthusiasm that belies her public office inexperience. A software engineer and now product manager with an educational software company, the Kerala native left India 16 years ago and has called Santa Clara home for over a decade. “After coming here, I felt like I could be whatever I wanted to be…I felt like this is my home,” Gopi says.
The Santa Clara City Clerk’s office is an elected position, one among the few California cities that have elected city clerks. Speaking to India Currents, Gopi shares what motivated her to run for office, and her desire to increase civic engagement and awareness among Santa Clara residents, especially young adults, about how local governments work.
She lives in Santa Clara with her husband and her 16-year-old daughter.
On her first run for office
I am a social person. I have communities at my daughter’s school and at Stanford, where I did my executive education. My dad was a very social person too. He never ran for any office, but was always active in the community. I do the same now. I feel I should be able to do something more. And if I’m doing something more, I want to start with this city because this is where I live, and we have no plans to move from here.
I’m not a political person. I don’t want to be a council member or anything like that. The city clerk is a person who has to be fair and cannot take sides. One of the main roles of the city clerk is to be the liaison between the public and the city. And I love doing that; I have always been the bridge builder between groups of people.
I feel like this is a role that’s made for me.
Also, I have a daughter who is 16 and she doesn’t try new things because she is afraid of failure. This (run for office) is something where there is a good chance of me failing and everybody is going to know. But I will take that step to show her that it is okay to fail, but you still have to try.
Your primary role as Santa Clara City Clerk
My primary role as a City Clerk is to run elections in Santa Clara.There is a general lack of awareness among people about these processes. When I speak to residents and ask if they are registered to vote, many say they don’t even know if they are!
Young adults and kids in our community are so focused on their academics, that many have no idea what is going on in the world. And that includes my daughter; she has no idea what happens outside of her home-to-school commute. I want to design programs to raise awareness among kids, high school students, and college students about how things work in a democracy.
These programs are also for immigrants like me who don’t completely understand how governments work here.
My first order of business on Day 1
Reviewing city policies and procedures, reviewing how records have been maintained, and identifying any areas that need immediate attention.
My top three priorities as City Clerk
- More public forums to create awareness and increase participation in city council meetings.
- Design programs to give young adults more ways to interact with the city and see first-hand how the local government operates.
- Incorporate more technology to improve transparency and accessibility for all.
On the recent Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report that criticized the city council for being dysfunctional
As a city clerk, I’m supposed to make sure that they (City Council) follow the rules. I’m not there to make the rules. It’s not about what I think. I need to make sure that they are doing things by the rule, that they are not doing something that is going to ruin the city, and that there is transparency in whatever is happening. It’s going to be challenging and I’m actually looking forward to that.
Challenges Santa Clara City faces and how the City Clerk can help
Other than city officials, I feel people are not really invested in the city anymore. That has to change. More people who don’t have huge agendas need to come forward. I want to create a setup in Santa Clara where people can know what’s happening in their city. I want to be that person who knows things so people can come and ask me.
I am uniquely qualified for this role because…
I have zero history with the city council. I’m going in with a neutral outlook. I am good at building communities. I am good at listening to people, at trying to understand their problems, and working towards solving them. As a product manager, I am a very customer-centric person. For me, it will always be the community that will be at the forefront of everything.