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San Ramon council appoints two to planning commission, agrees to reopen recruitment for remaining seat
Summary
At a June 26 special meeting the San Ramon City Council appointed Gary Alpert and Santosh Kanjila to open planning-commission seats by unanimous vote and directed staff to reopen recruitment to fill a remaining vacancy.
SAN RAMON, Calif. — The San Ramon City Council on June 26 appointed Gary Alpert and Santosh Kanjila to the city’s Planning Commission and agreed to reopen recruitment to fill a third vacant seat.
Mayor Mark Armstrong opened the special meeting by identifying the single agenda item as “the planning commission interviews and appointments.” After interviewing multiple candidates and discussing how many alternates to keep on a prioritized wait list, the council voted 5-0 to appoint Alpert and Kanjila to full terms.
The appointment matters because the Planning Commission carries authority delegated by the council and state law to review land-use and zoning matters before they reach the City Council. “The planning commission is special. It has authorization given to it by the California government code, and, we as a city council authorized and delegated, authority down to the, planning commission that’s in our municipal code,” Mayor Armstrong said during opening remarks.
Council members conducted a sequence of scheduled interviews through the evening and discussed the candidates’ experience with local planning documents, state housing laws and the city’s growth plans, including upcoming projects at Bishop Ranch and City Walk. Multiple applicants emphasized the technical demands of the role — including the need to review a full staff packet received on Friday before a Tuesday meeting, to visit project sites and to balance state housing mandates with neighborhood concerns.
After deliberation and a roll-call style selection process, the council formalized its appointments. The motion to appoint the two candidates was moved and seconded on the dais and passed unanimously. The council also directed staff to reopen the recruitment period for the remaining open seat, aiming to relaunch the application process and return to interviews so the body can reach a full five-member commission.
Appointees and voting details Gary Alpert, a current planning commissioner who has served as chair and vice chair on previous terms, was reappointed. Alpert told the council he routinely reads meeting packets multiple times, visits project sites and meets with planning staff to prepare for hearings.
Santosh Kanjila, a San Ramon resident with professional experience in finance and community development, was selected as the council’s second appointee.
The council’s motion naming Alpert and Kanjila passed 5-0. A council member noted the appointed terms will run to June 2029.
Process and next steps Council members agreed to reopen the application period — discussed as a roughly two-week recruitment window — to encourage candidates who had not been able to interview during the special meeting to reapply and to produce a larger candidate pool for the remaining vacancy. Council members said they preferred to re-run interviews rather than appoint a third commissioner without hearing from additional candidates in person.
Staff said applicants should reapply (rather than rely on earlier filings), and the council indicated it will then pick which candidates to invite for interviews.
Public comment and context One member of the public, Max Zhang, thanked the council for holding recorded, public interviews and said the format helps residents learn about applicants’ qualifications and the council’s priorities.
Why it matters The Planning Commission will weigh several major projects and policy updates in the coming years, including city-core infill, the Bishop Ranch developments and other rezoning and master-plan amendments. Council members repeatedly stressed the commission’s need to be technically prepared, familiar with San Ramon’s General Plan and ready to apply objective standards and state housing requirements when those projects come forward.
The council said appointees and staff will be notified of the results and that the recruitment period for the remaining vacancy will be relisted so the council can complete the commission’s membership in the near term.
