Ibrahim Bashir is running for Los Altos City Council because it's the only place he's ever truly felt at home. He’s raising his three kids here and sending them to local public schools. And when something in your home is broken, you don't play the blame game. You fix it. That's exactly what Ibrahim intends to do on the city council.
Born in war-torn Saudi Arabia to Pakistani immigrants, Ibrahim's father brought the family to the US in pursuit of a better life and education. Despite moving around the country and never quite feeling at home, Ibrahim learned the value of hard work, perseverance, and community from a young age.
As a tech leader in Silicon Valley’s biggest companies, Ibrahim learned how to solve big problems. He knows you solve big problems by setting ambitious goals. You spend smart. You execute with discipline. It's an approach he's eager to bring to Los Altos city government.
But when Ibrahim and his wife Amal were renovating the teardown they bought, they experienced firsthand how frustratingly bureaucratic and nonsensical city processes could be.
Despite his frustrations with city bureaucracy Ibrahim sought ways to get involved and make the city better, which led to an appointment on the city’s library commission. The very concept of a public library had been alien to Ibrahim as a kid. That the government would provide all these books and trust people to take care of them and bring them back — he couldn’t believe it. So when all his friends were doing extracurricular activities to build their resume, he volunteered for the library. And when he went to college, majoring in CS with a minor in history, he worked in the library. Ibrahim loves libraries, and wanted Los Altos’ libraries to be even better.
But on the commission, Ibrahim discovered that the city was often slowed down by a vocal minority resistant to change and progress. They were resistant to using better data to track library engagement. They stalled downtown development and delayed improvements to cell reception, which cost taxpayers millions in legal bills.
While the city has made some progress in recent years, with plans for downtown, housing, and climate action, significant work remains to fully realize the community's vision. That's why Ibrahim is stepping up to run for City Council.