City of Sunnyvale City Council Councilmember Richard Mehlinger

Richard Mehlinger, a software engineer and Sunnyvale resident since 2011, won the District 5 seat on the Sunnyvale City Council in the November general election. In a race against Satyam Davé, he garnered a commanding 70 percent of the vote. Sunnyvale began the process of switching to district elections in 2020, and Mehlinger is the first representative in District 5, which lies between the Caltrain tracks, Mathilda Avenue, Highway 101, and the city’s border with Santa Clara. He campaigned on his understanding of “the life of the city,” which he has gleaned from working with Livable Sunnyvale (a grassroots organization advocating for housing, green transportation, and sustainability) and serving on several city commissions. He is an elected delegate of the California Democratic Party and worked on Sunnyvale’ Yes on Measure B – District Elections Campaign in 2020. He also was a board member of the Sunnyvale Heritage Society (2019-2021).

Day job: Software engineer specializing in frontend development

Alma maters: UC Riverside (master’s degree in history), Harvey Mudd College (bachelor’s degrees in computer science and history) 

Other positions held: Sunnyvale Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (2019-2022), Charter Review Commission (2018) 

Notable quote: "I took stock of things and decided I wanted to get involved. I wanted to fight to help make this country a better place. I realized pretty quickly there is little you can do as one person at the federal and state level. But at the local level, all you have to do is show up, and show up consistently, to have an impact." (Source: Bay Area Reporter, Aug. 31, 2022)