January 2022 Newsletter Articles
Citizens Commission Completes Redistricting
What the New Lines Mean for Bay Area Republicans
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission submitted new lines for Congressional, State Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts by the Constitutionally mandated deadline of December 27.
New district lines bring both change and opportunity for Bay Area Republicans. Here are some of the more significant changes to district lines and representation in the greater Bay Area.
• The new Congressional District 18 now has a 50.5% Latino Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) and extends from San Jose to King City in Southern Monterey County. It includes all of San Benito County. This poses an interesting question for incumbent Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren: Will she run for re-election in a district designed to increase Latino representation in Congress? Accustomed to wielding the power of the majority, will she want to serve in Congress during the predicted Republican majority? At the age of 74 will she consider retirement?
• Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham still has the heart of his old district – San Luis Obispo County. But he has gained area along the Monterey Coast and lost area in Northern Santa Barbara County. Republican registration has declined in the new district from what was already a competitive district under the old lines. But this could be a wave election for Republicans. Stay tuned.
• San Mateo County was split into Northern and Southern areas under the old Congressional and Assembly districts. The new districts divide San Mateo County into Pacific Coast and Bayside districts giving both a new look. Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s retirement provides an opportunity for change in the Congressional Delegation from San Mateo County.
• Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County’s second largest city, now has its own Assembly district. The district also includes Santa Clara, Cupertino and a portion of San Jose. While no incumbent currently lives in this district, Democrat Assemblyman Evan Low has announced that he will move into this district and run. Is there a home grown Republican who can challenge him?
• In the North Bay, Assemblyman Jim Frazier’s retirement provides an open seat in Solano and Contra Costa Counties. In the East Bay Assemblyman Bill Quirk has announced he will not run for re-election. Could these be opportunities for new Republican challengers?
You can check out the final district lines by clicking here. Please visit BayAreaGOP.com for more information on Bay Area politics and races. We look forward to highlighting some of the Republican candidates and campaigns in the coming months.
Ritesh Tandon Runs for Congress
By: Roger Riffenburgh
Ritesh Tandon, an engineer, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader in Silicon Valley, is running for Congress in the South Bay. During his career he has worked to improve the lives of others both in the business he founded and in his nonprofit work.
Ritesh Tandon says he is running because he wants to take a stand against how far left government policies are going. He’s very concerned about companies leaving and mall shops being looted. He wants the government to deal with the misallocation of water resources, the homelessness issue, and the unprecedented gaps between the rich and poor.
Recently, Tandon has been doing research as a Garwood Innovation Fellow at the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. His research topic is “How to Revive California’s Economy Using Open Innovation.” He also continues as the CEO of Kricel Corporation, which he founded after working in engineering and marketing at Cisco and GN.
In 2021, Tandon won a U.S. Supreme Court case, Tandon v. Newsom, that defended the rights of religious groups during the pandemic.
As an executive committee member of a nonprofit, Ritesh helped build 11 super specialty eye care hospitals in India, where 150,000 free surgeries are performed every year for disadvantaged children. Ritesh served as president of another nonprofit, where he helped fund the education of over 1800 children and set up ten daycare centers. In addition, he worked to help needy families in the Bay Area.
Ritesh Tandon is running for the second time in Congressional District 17, which has not changed much as a result of redistricting. It includes part of Fremont, Milpitas, the Alviso and Berryessa areas of San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. The incumbent is Ro Khanna, who served in 2020 as a national co-chair for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. Tandon should benefit from the experience and exposure he gained during his 2020 campaign in the district.
The grandson of a freedom fighter for Indian independence, Ritesh Tandon grew up in northern India and earned a B.S. degree in engineering. After coming to the United States, he earned an M.S. in computer engineering and an MBA at Santa Clara University, he also met Zurica Dhar, a fellow computer engineer, whom he married. They have two children and live in San Jose.
You can find out more about Ritesh Tandon on his campaign website, tandonforcongress.com.