Diane Howard will run for reelection to Redwood City’s City Council this time to represent District 6.
Most recently, the candidate served in District 5, but due to redistricting, has been bumped to District 6. Her district includes Eagle Hill, Mt. Carmel, Woodside Plaza and Central.
The multi-term candidate held a gathering at the Gordon Manor Assisted Living Facility on Sunday. Special guest Rep. Anna Eshoo was invited to attend the event.
Howard was first elected to the city council nearly 30 years ago in 1994 and, since 2013, has run for three terms. She took a break in 2009.
During her career on the city council, she has been appointed as mayor twice, once in 1997 and most recently in 2019, which ended in December. Her term as mayor was succeeded by Giselle Hale.
Howard was Redwood City’s mayor during COVID-19 and when asked why she chose to run for council again this year, she said, “I stepped up and I really think I handled the situation pretty well and also got to work with wonderful staff, addressing the concerns of the community that, at that time, were getting thrown out pretty quickly without notice due to COVID.”
Addressing her top priorities during her time on council, Howard said she has championed issues related to housing stability and the need for more affordable housing, addressing returning much needed programs to schools and ensuring the success of downtown businesses. She said she also looks forward to bringing ferry service to Redwood City.
“We’re so close now,” she said. “I think we’re only two years away.”
Last month, the city gave an update to council members on how it had lost nearly $83 million in the last two years and projected a loss of millions in deficits over the next four years to cover city projects if the city didn’t make drastic changes.
But Howard said the city and the city council were already taking steps to bolster the budget.
“We're looking at the business tax, We're looking at the transit occupancy tax. We're looking at a number of things and seeing what the impact would be on our budget in a good way,” she said. “And on the community, if there's any kind of negativity around what we're thinking about. So our staff is busily working on revenue opportunities.”
The filing period opens on Monday, July 18.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the year Howard took a break from office.
