City of Monte Sereno City Council Councilmember Javed I. Ellahie

Javed Ellahie first ran for the Monte Sereno City Council in 2018 and won a seat. In 2022, he was appointed to a second term after the election was canceled when only three contenders emerged for the three open seats on the council. A Monte Sereno resident since 1987, Ellahie and his wife, Naveeda, raised four children together. Ellahie says the town—its homes laced with majestic redwood and pine trees, and deer roaming nearby—“offers a great environment to raise a healthy family.” He is a lawyer and has served on the board of trustees and executive board of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.

First elected: December 2018

Day job: Owner of Ellahie Law Firm

Alma mater: Santa Clara University School of Law (juris doctor, law), Golden Gate University (LLM, Estate and Tax Planning), California State University, Fresno (bachelor’s degree, electronic engineering)

Other positions held: West Valley-Mission Community College Board

Notable quote: “Monte Sereno has sought to satisfy the State's housing element requirement by encouraging "Granny" units where appropriate. It needs to go a step further and provide additional information, quicker permit processing and inspections, to homeowners so they can build such units as expeditiously as possible. Homeowners are not developers and may not be aware of issues until they are in the middle of a building project. Monte Sereno should have resources available for these homeowners that help them jump the hoops of building auxiliary units. (Source: VotersEdge.org)

Committee and board assignments:
Association of Bay Area Governments
Comprehensive County Expressway Planning Study Policy Advisory Board
Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network
Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority
West Valley Mayors & Managers
Youth Commission Liaisons