city hall should work for you
You deserve Responsive local government, focused on community and affordability.
Dear Neighbors,
The best part of living in Larkspur is community: that feeling of togetherness we all get when spending time with our friends and neighbors, and when we see the people we know around town.
But in many ways, community in Larkspur exists independent of City Hall, not with its help. Cultural events, sports leagues, small businesses, our favorite restaurants and cafes: the institutions, places, and people that bring us together inevitably interact with city government. And if you talk to the organizers, City Hall could often do a lot more to facilitate building community in Larkspur.
The same is true if you’re trying to invest in your own slice of Larkspur or build something for others. Redoing a house or opening a business can quickly become a pile of paperwork and red tape, often with very little guidance until you’ve inadvertently done something wrong. People tell me the same thing over and over in slightly different words: our city government seems most interested in making its own life easier, even if that means making your life more difficult.
We need a city government that puts YOU first. A government that says YES to its citizens. YES to good ideas. YES to investing in the future, and YES to preserving the time-honored traditions that make living here so special. I’m running for City Council to bring a responsive, pragmatic, can-do attitude to City Hall so that good people and good ideas thrive in Larkspur.
- Brian Jaffe
A veteran, Builder, Husband & dad raising three kids in Larkspur.
I served five years as a U.S. Navy officer and deployed overseas twice. Later I built a civic tech platform to connect community members with elected leaders. Now I build starter homes to ease the housing crisis and advocate for clean electricity in Sacramento to address the affordability and climate crises.
I believe in a bright, connected future, with abundant housing, clean air and water for everyone, affordable clean energy, and governments that are accountable and responsive to their citizens. This is what I hope to pass to my three young children, and what I want for your family too.
Service has been a through-line in my life, and I now humbly ask for your vote to serve my fellow Larkspur residents at City Hall.
"Brian embodies the exact brand of practical, results-oriented leadership that Larkspur requires today."
— David Patton, Larkspur Resident, Craftsman, and Small Business Owner
Community / Affordability / Responsive government
A community worth investing in
Larkspur is special because of the way neighbors know each other. I'll protect and grow the connective tissue — for lifeline residents, new arrivals, and everyone in between — through partnership with our many civic and cultural institutions, welcome and outreach to new families and new parents, and a pro-active attitude at City Hall built to say “YES.”
Housing and costs that fit Larkspur
Larkspur is required by state law to plan for 979 new housing units by 2031, but how we achieve that is up to us. I want to pro-actively plan for a future where seniors, service workers, and the next generation can call Larkspur home, not cede these decisions to state bureaucrats and the courts through obstinance or magical thinking.
I also want to leverage regional agencies like MCE to control the runaway cost of electricity and home insurance, to keep more money in Larkspur residents’ pockets.
A City Hall that serves you
City government needs to adopt a service mindset instead of a process mindset. This means answering the phone and manning the front counter, publishing permit timelines, and same-day processing for routine work. City Hall should be quick to help you to do the right thing, instead of quick to fine you for inadvertently doing the wrong thing.
The North Star for city staff should be “How can I help you achieve your goal?” not “You missed a line on your form.”