Skip to main content

Foster City Council, District 1

This is a sample · See your full ballot

✕

City of Foster City

Foster City Council, District 1

This person would hold one of five district seats on Foster City's council-manager government. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Foster City is a roughly 33,800-resident San Mateo County city. It is built on filled Bay land. The term is four years. This is Foster City's first-ever district election. The city moved off an at-large system in 2024. This followed a California Voting Rights Act demand letter. It created five geographic districts. Districts 1 and 2 elect in 2026. Districts 3, 4, and 5 follow in 2028. The Council chooses a Mayor from its own members each year. Voters do not elect the office directly.

Two sitting Foster City councilmembers are facing each other for the District 1 seat. One is Mayor Art Kiesel, who is serving their third term as Mayor. The other is Councilmember Phoebe Shin Venkat, who was elected citywide in 2024.

This is Foster City's first-ever district election. The city moved off an at-large City Council in 2024 -- after a letter alleging California Voting Rights Act violations -- to five geographic districts; Districts 1 and 2 elect this cycle, Districts 3, 4, and 5 follow in 2028. The winner serves a 4-year term, through 2030. The Council chooses its own Mayor from among its members each year rather than voters electing the office directly; Kiesel currently holds that post.

Kiesel and Venkat are both already on the Council -- their both landing in District 1 is an ordinary consequence of drawing district lines around a city that previously elected everyone at-large: whichever district a sitting member's home falls in is the one they can run in, or not run in at all. That leaves District 1 with two incumbents on the ballot and, notably, no incumbent contesting District 2 this cycle beyond Stacy Jimenez, whose seat isn't affected by the same geographic accident.

Art Kiesel

Art Kiesel is the sitting Mayor, now in their third term holding that role. This is their second stint on the Council, about 8 years across two elected terms. They also served 3.5 years on the Planning Commission. They served earlier on the city's Information Technology Advisory Committee starting in 2000. They have lived in Foster City for at least 30 years. They are also a third-generation San Franciscan. They were drafted into the U.S. Army. They spent more than 50 years in software development and consulting. They recently retired as CFO of a private company. That company does about $15 million a year in government and military contracting. They have also served on the League of California Cities board. They represented Foster City on the City and County Association of Governments board. They served there for four years. They belong to the Foster City Lions Club. They have been a member since 2004 and a past president. Their stated 2026 priorities include managed housing growth within the city's roughly four-square-mile area. They also list fiscal discipline and reserves. They want to protect parks and recreation assets from development pressure. They want infrastructure and levee maintenance. They want public safety, including cybersecurity resilience.

Phoebe Shin Venkat

Phoebe Shin Venkat is a sitting Councilmember. They were elected citywide in November 2024. The city says they are Foster City's first renter and first HOA resident. It also says they are the first Chinese woman on the Council. Before that, they served on the Planning Commission from 2022 to 2024. Their work background includes Salesforce, Facebook, also known as Meta, Okta, and TripActions. They have also done broader strategic-consulting work across tech, pharma, and finance. They hold a bachelor's degree from Boston University. They were the first in their family to attend college. They serve as vice chair of CORA, the Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse group. They helped found the San Mateo County Asian American Pacific Islander Alliance. They serve on its executive board. Their stated 2026 priorities include economic vibrancy and fiscal responsibility. They also list community safety. They want support for seniors and youth. They want mental-health resources. They want environmental sustainability. They want childcare and early-childhood education. They want arts and placemaking. They want educator and workforce housing.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

This is one race on your ballot. Vote or Else shows every contest you will vote on — Congress, the Legislature, your county, city, and school board — each broken down the same way. Enter your address to see your full ballot.