Nikfar should be Tiburon's pick for council

Ballots have been mailed to Tiburon voters to pick a new council member to fill out the term of Noah Griffin, who stepped down in January.

One of the candidates, Isaac Nikfar, is making a second try, having lost in November when he ran against three incumbents.

On the Aug. 29 special election ballot, he faces a newcomer, Stefanie Cho, in the race to complete Griffin's term, which ends in November 2024.

Nikfar's local experience, his involvement in community activities and town government, gives him an edge over Cho, whose local involvement is limited.

Nikfar, 44, has lived in town for 11 years and has been a member of the town Parks, Open Space and Trails Commission for seven years. He's been involved in local youth sports and, as a commissioner, has worked on issues, among them minimizing herbicide use in local parks and restoration of Greenwood Cove Beach.

He's also a veteran of dealing with local controversies, as well. Issues from the creation of a pickleball court to updating guidelines for the use of McKegney Green have stirred community debate.

That experience should prove valuable as a council member who has to deal with decisions involving compliance with state-mandated quotas to build more housing or implementing police department turnover and reforms after the well-publicized dust-up over officers' troubling confrontation with two Black store owners.

Cho, 60, has been a quick study, but is clearly catching up on local issues.

She says her interest in civic affairs and in finances should be helpful in helping steer the town.

She also says because she is retired, she has the time to be active in town government. Cho says she was active in town politics in Sherman Oaks before she and her husband moved to Tiburon in 2020.

Whoever wins will be involved in implementing the town's plan for complying with the state's housing mandate that has set a quota of creating 639 units over the next eight years in a town that is mostly built out.

That level of construction is a seismic change in a town that has seen few new houses in recent years.

Nikfar and Cho agree that the state number doesn't make sense.

“We've reached a point where we have very little choice,” Cho told the IJ editorial board.

The two split when it comes to what the town should do.

Nikfar says the town should put a great focus on the addition of accessory dwelling units, adding second units to residential lots.

Lobbying Sacramento for more realistic numbers should be part of the town's political strategy, Cho said. However, she will not rule out the town going to court to challenge the state's demands.

Nikfar says the town's legal staff has dissuaded the council from that tack. He says “any and all options are available,” but he thinks there are other ways, besides lawsuits, to challenge state quotas.

He's not certain residents support getting involved in costly legal battles.

Nikfar, a salesperson for Google, says he is “a voice for town residents” on the town commission and says he would continue that role on the council.

Both Cho and Nikfar say they support the town's work on local police reforms and promoting diversity, which grew from the 2020 incident at Yema, the Main Street fashion store.

To her credit, Cho has also put local emergency preparedness as one of her top issues where she thinks the town needs to focus.

Cho has a civic spirit that would make her a strong candidate for a town commission. That experience would bolster her resume.

Nikfar has a stronger local resume.

Among his endorsements are Mayor Jack Ryan (whom Nikfar challenged last November), Councilmember Holli Thier and Griffin.

Longtime Councilmember Alice Fredericks backs Cho.

The IJ editorial board recommends voting for Isaac Nikfar in Tiburon's Aug. 29 special election.