Students’ parents run for city council

Saratoga High parents are, more often than not, known for their involvement in the tech industries. Rishi Kumar, father of senior Rishub Kumar and general manager at Imaginea Cloud Services, is no exception.

But Kumar is an example of how they are not limited to solely technological careers. He is one of the six candidates who have announced that they will be campaigning for the Saratoga City Council in November this year for one of the three open spots.

Kumar’s political career began when he moved to Saratoga in 2001. He was faced with various neighborhood issues, ranging from putting up a sign to forming a Neighborhood Safety Watch Program when a burglary occurred in his neighborhood.

Rishi is a former planning commissioner of Saratoga, former board member of AYSO Region 27. He is also an appointed member of the Regents Selection Advisory Committee assisting Governor Brown in making his selections of Regents of the University of California.

Additionally, the older Kumar has been involved in a variety of community events such as hosting the monthly open mic event at Blue Rock Shoot and annual Saratoga’s Got Talent show (which has raised money for

Saratoga Senior Center and Saratoga Education Foundation) as well as forming the Saratoga LEGO Robotics Club to create mentoring opportunities and coaches.

One of the parts he enjoys about campaigning is connecting and listening to the community.

“The campaign is very energizing — Saratogans are reaching out, actively soliciting, getting together for coffee and sharing their ideas,” Kumar said. “I'm very impressed by all the ideas Saratogans have.”

Kumar plans on addressing the issues of bringing Google Fiber (high speed internet provided by Google) to town and boosting occupancy in Downtown Saratoga. One of the solutions Kumar has to the occupancy issue is organizing a free community shuttle to bring more Saratogans to downtown.

Kumar’s son is also no stranger to politics. Rishub spent six months interning for California state senator Jim Beall and has been helping his father campaign.

Even though his father is spending more time away from him than usual lately, he sees his dad’s involvement in politics as “an opportunity to make a difference.”

Rishub is not the only student with a parent running for city council. Senior Ingrid Hong and her brother sophomore Brendon Hong also dedicate time to campaigning for her mom, Yan Zhao.   typically helps her mother by distributing flyers, folding brochures and stamping envelopes.

“I think it’s really cool [that my mom is running for city council] and I'm very supportive,” Ingrid said. “I think it’s really awesome how she really cares about the community and even with a full-time job she’s so willing to take time of out of her weekends to get involved in the community.”

Zhao had previously been a candidate in the 2010 City Council elections and lost by a narrow margin. Additionally, she served on the Saratoga Planning Commission from 2006-2010, and was chair of the committee during her last two years.

For the last three years, Zhao has been a chairperson on the Saratoga Art Show and traveled to nearby schools to collect their art, which is then put up at the show for the community to see.

She is also a parliamentarian on the Saratoga Elementary PTA board and currently serves on the Commission on the Status of Women in the County of Santa Clara.

“Sometimes [volunteering] is tough and time consuming, but being able to help and make a difference in our community gives me great joy and satisfaction,” Zhao said.

Zhao’s plans to bring commerce into Downtown Saratoga is to increase the number of family restaurants and expand the variety of food that is available.

She said her experience from raising her three children and assisting her mother has given her experience keeping the community  safe and supporting senior citizens. She has also worked in the semiconductor industry, and said that it trained her “to focus on details and find solutions.”

Zhao enjoys campaigning even though it consumes a large portion of her time and energy.

“Campaigning gives me opportunities to reach out to many residents I wouldn't otherwise have known,” Zhao said. “I have learned people’s concerns and received suggestions on many issues. Yes, campaign is hard work. I have to cut some of my social and family activities. But I enjoy working on things that I am passionate about.”