Retired engineer Pradeep Gupta, who was appointed Dec. 31, 2012, to fill out a term on the South San Francisco City Council after council member Kevin Mullin was elected to the California State Assembly (I-W, Jan. 11), has opted not to run to retain his two-year seat, but instead to seek one of the three four-year terms available on the council.
He and another incumbent, Mark Addiego, are being challenged in the Nov. 5 election by six challengers.
Gupta told India-West that his experience serving three years on the South San Francisco Planning Commission, the fact that he is the only engineer on the council, and high-profile endorsements from a battery of elected officials, including Congresswoman Jackie Speier and State Senator Leland Yee, are points in his favor.
His fundraising, he said, has been “more than OK,” as he has raised about $2,000 above his initial goal of $20,000.
Gupta’s campaign platform includes ensuring certain police and fire departments are fully funded.
South San Francisco hosts the biotech industry, including biotech giant Genentech, but many of these jobs go to people living outside South San Francisco. Gupta hopes to initiate programs for local youth to “get them interested in biotech as a career” so that more jobs go to South San Francisco residents.
Gupta retired as an electrical engineer about 10 years ago. He has more than 30 years of experience in the electric power industry, including 11 years at Electric Power Research Institute, eight years at Southern California Edison Co. and 10 years as a consultant on international utilities.
The Indian American candidate has master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a B.S.E.E. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Other city priorities, if he is reelected, include well-maintained streets, balancing the budget and fiscal responsibility, he said in his campaign statement.
Gupta and his wife, Kumkum, also an electrical engineer, have two children (also engineers) and four grandchildren. His hobbies include producing five plays for the San Francisco Bay Area Naatak theater group and woodworking.