San Ramon Builds Its First Communications Playbook as Council Queues Up Housing, Zoning and Emergency Talks

San Ramon's City Council spent the bulk of its Feb. 10 meeting wrestling with a deceptively simple question: How should a city of roughly 84,000 people talk to its residents — and listen back? The answer, it turns out, touches everything from AI chatbots and fake ICE photos circulating among students to whether the council itself is accessible enough. Meanwhile, four new policy discussions were teed up for coming months, signaling a busy stretch ahead on housing, zoning, emergency preparedness and transportation.

• City's first-ever strategic communications plan takes shape with council pushing for a mobile app, AI tools, misinformation strategy and town halls

• Affordable housing policy direction requested by Planning Commissioner and council; staff presentation on rental vs. for-sale units and RHNA progress coming

• Zoning and development standards review initiated unanimously to clarify objective vs. subjective rules under evolving state housing law

• Emergency preparedness town hall in the works as earthquake swarms and fire season prompt coordination with new fire chief and USGS

• Housing and transportation town hall proposed by vice mayor to help residents understand San Ramon's development vision

• $166M Innovate 680 mega grant and Valley Link rail among priorities on mayor's DC advocacy trip