Sashi Sabaratnam

Summary

Subject Matter Expertise in: * WILDFIRE: use of geovisualization/data, policy, insurance, utilities, stakeholder engagement, planning/permitting/funding, CEQA/CalVTP, forest management * LOCAL GOVERNMENT: LAFCo, governance & funding structures, working with state/federal agencies, cross-department collaboration, board/council training Sashi served 7 years on the Mill Valley City Council, elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2020. She served as mayor in 2020, an unprecedented year that included the COVID pandemic and lockdown, civil unrest, budget constraints, and the hiring of a new city manager. Sashi was a founding board member of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. She represented the cities and towns of Marin on the Marin Local Agency Formation Commission, serving as chairman for 4 years and nominated by her commission for LAFCo Commissioner of the Year. She served as 2021-22 president of the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers. Prior to her council service, Sashi served as chair of the Mill Valley CERT Steering Committee and Vice Chair of the City’s Emergency Preparedness Commission. She has written several articles on wildfire prevention for Reason magazine, City Journal, and Western Cities magazine. Sashi is enrolled in the master’s program at the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense & Security, focusing her thesis on use of visualization to catalyze community consensus around wildfire vegetation management. After living in Mill Valley for 22 years, Sashi recently moved to Sonoma County with her 2 daughters. Sashi has also served on the steering committee of Different Together (formerly Bridging The Divide), a project of Glide Memorial Church focused on bringing together people from differing political views, as well as on the Politicians Caucus of Braver Angels, a national group leading the political depolarization movement. Sashi has an unusual talent stack. She is a numbers person who is skilled at communicating complicated concepts. Principled and courageous, Sashi takes the time to listen and understand the needs of stakeholders, builds relationships, and is a positive force for connecting people and advancing positive change.