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Vamsi Velagapudi, 47, has worked all over the world. Originally from London, Velagapudi advised companies, public agencies and nonprofits in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, India and China before moving to Menlo Park in 2018.
As a consultant for McKinsey, Velagapudi said he helped set and execute high-level strategies for organizations. Now retired, Velagapudi wants to take his advising skills to the Menlo Park City Council. He is challenging two-term incumbent Drew Combs for the District 2 seat, which represents the Willows, Flood Park Triangle, Lorelei Manor and Suburban Park.
Velagapudi said he is running for council to bring a fresh voice, help fix the city’s problems, plan for growth and make Menlo Park more family-friendly.
Among the most pressing issues facing Menlo Park is a controversial skyscraper proposed for the site of the former headquarters of Sunset Magazine. The project was filed under the state builder’s remedy loophole, which is intended to punish cities without a state-approved housing plan by allowing developers to bypass local rules.
Menlo Park did not have an approved housing element for several months in 2024, opening the window for the 80 Willow project application. Velagapudi said he doesn’t think the Menlo Park City Council did everything it could to get an approved housing element before the deadline. Mayor Betsy Nash has blamed the state for assigning a new reviewer in the middle of the process, which delayed approval.
“The state could have been more proactive in trying to problem-solve with us and that also means that we could have done that as well,” Velagapudi said. Additionally, he pointed out that Combs was the only councilmember who voted against the city’s housing element.
The state-approved plan includes a controversial proposal to build affordable housing on several downtown parking lots. A group of residents and businesses organized in opposition to the plan and proposed Measure P, a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would require a city-wide vote before the parking lots could be repurposed.
Velagapudi opposes Measure P and says it reflects a council that has failed to listen to residents.
“We needed to have a more honest conversation with residents,” Velagapudi said. “I think the City Council sometimes struggles to say something because they know it’s going to be unpopular. … We need to be clear with residents. That’s on us, not the state.”
He supports the proposal to build affordable housing on the downtown parking lots and said that the council should have been honest with residents that the city may need to use public funds to support the project. Velagapudi also added that the council should have put a funding measure on the 2026 ballot.
Velagapudi serves on the city’s Finance and Audit Commission and said he’s had a front-row seat to discussions about Menlo Park’s structural deficit.
To raise additional revenue, Velagapudi said Menlo Park needs to reform its business license tax. The city currently taxes businesses with an office or warehouse in Menlo Park based on the number of employees at each location, maxing out at $1,250 for offices with over 200 employees. Other businesses are charged based on gross sales in the city, capped at $8,000 for businesses with gross sales over $30 million.
The city could adjust the maximums to raise more revenue from larger businesses like Meta and Snowflake, major tech companies headquartered in Menlo Park, Velagapudi said.
Velagapudi also wants the city to approach major players like Meta to work collaboratively. Combs is a Meta employee and is required to recuse himself from discussions involving the company. Velagapudi points out that he would not have that restriction.
Besides the Menlo Park Finance and Audit Commission, Velagapudi serves on the Menlo Park City School District’s Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee and is the Menlo Park representative on the East Palo Alto Sanitary District Advisory Board. He lives in District 2 with his daughter after moving from District 4 a year ago.
Velagapudi is endorsed by Councilmembers Jennifer Wise and Jeff Schmidt, the San Mateo County Democratic Party and the San Mateo County Central Labor Council.
View The Almanac’s Voter Guide here, Velagapudi’s answers to The Almanac’s candidate survey here and his campaign website here.
