As Kaia Eakin’s first term on Redwood City Council comes to a close, the vice mayor is running unopposed for another term representing District 5. She is also in line to become mayor, pending a council vote.
In an interview with the Pulse, Eakin outlined what she aims to achieve in her next term and reflected on her first four years in office. Road safety, alternative modes of transportation and revitalizing the city’s arts are top of mind for her.
Next term
The council is scheduled to meet on Dec. 21, when it could choose its next mayor. Under the city’s rotation policy, Eakin is in line for the position if she retains her council seat, though the council must vote to select her.
Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos’ two-year term ends in December. Eakin said she admired his work toward establishing a legacy of transparency and hopes to continue that work as mayor.
In the next four years, Eakin said she intends to work with the county to establish a “model e-bike ordinance” that the county’s 19 other cities can adopt, to standardize enforcement and “keep our kids safe.”
Eakin wants to make Redwood City roads more accessible to people walking, biking, riding scooters or using a wheelchair. Eakin also aims to champion more arts and culture by partnering nonprofits with city organizations so they are not “in competition,” she said.
“These are very basic peanut butter and jelly issues, but can improve the quality of life for our underserved community,” Eakin said. “I don’t think that’s something you’ll read about in the headlines, but it’s something I hope to work on.”
First term
Eakin’s proudest accomplishments on council were updating the parks impact fee to fund park improvements and restoring enforcement against retailers the city believed were violating tobacco laws. Eakin described the enforcement concern as the “few bad actors that were in Redwood City.”
Eakin also pointed to the council’s Hopeful Horizons ordinance, which sets rules for clearing encampments on public property and generally requires that shelter be available and offered first. She said it will give the community “more tools to not just use a carrot, but also use a stick in a judicious way, in a compassionate way.”
As an advocate for arts and culture, Eakin believes it is “incumbent upon Redwood City to champion all forms of art because that’s where a great city grows.” She celebrated the city’s support for Music on the Square, a summer concert series in Redwood City, and the Center for Creativity, a local arts organization.
How she got here
Eakin was born at Sequoia Hospital and grew up in the unincorporated hills of San Mateo County. She attended Woodside High School and began spending “a lot of time” in Redwood City.
“Redwood City, when I grew up, was kind of like the big city where you could get a job, or where everyone was really nice and had a great climate,” the vice mayor said.
In college, Eakin said she worked a part-time job as a clerk at the Port of Redwood City and worked with her sister at The Waterfront Restaurant, formerly known as Harbor House, at Pete’s Harbor. The restaurant, which closed in 2012, was one that “locals will remember fondly.”
Eakin said she worked in “corporate America” in downtown Redwood City for years, advising large corporations on their business affairs. She bought a house with her husband in Redwood City in 2002 and said she has felt a pull to get involved in the community ever since because she “already knew what a great place it was.”
In 2007, Eakin said she switched careers and began fundraising for nonprofits, including the San Mateo County History Museum. She then served on the Historic Resources Advisory Committee for six years, where she worked to preserve historic sites in the Downtown Precise Plan.
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