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Livermore City Councilmember Ben Barrientos confirmed he is running in the general election this fall to again represent the northeast portion of the city.Â
The longtime Livermore resident was first elected to City Council in 2022 for District 2, featuring the Springtown neighborhood. In addition to his post at City Hall, Barrientos is the head wrestling coach at Oakland High School and president of the Livermore Lions Club, a local chapter of the worldwide service club dubbed Lions International.
He may face off against newcomer Narayan Tadimeti, who indicated an intention to run for office in the Nov. 3 election by pulling papers this week ahead of Friday’s filing deadline.
As for the incumbent’s bid for reelection, Barrientos said, “I want to make sure that we’re listened to and the city reacts to what we need over on this side (of Interstate 580).”
During a second term on City Council, Barrientos said he aims for the completion of multiple projects including the addition of flashing beacons on North Vasco Road near Christensen Middle School.
“I don’t want to see any kid get hit out at that crosswalk. They do have a crossing guard there, but I think those lights would enhance the safety of the kids crossing,” Barrientos said.
Barrientos said he would also like to see improvements to the I-580 overpasses at Vasco Road and Springtown Boulevard.
“I’m running again because I want to make sure that everything gets finished off,” he added.
He also expressed support for increasing a fee on developers, worth half of a percent of a development’s construction cost, for contribution to the city’s public art fund. The increase would raise the overall fee to about 0.83%.
Reflecting on the purpose of elected officials, Barrientos said his purpose is to represent the people of District 2.
“All areas or all districts have little political machines that control who gets elected and who doesn’t,” Barrientos said. “I wish that people would pay more attention about who they vote for and what their reasons are.
“I believe that if you get elected … you’re there to serve the people, not yourself or special interest,” he added.
On another note, Barrientos mentioned his vote in November 2024 against the Garaventa Hills housing development, a site he lives near.
The project passed muster 4-1, but the Fair Political Practices Commission began conducting an investigation in January 2025 into Barrientos for his unadvised participation in the decision and his alleged violation of the conflict-of-interest provisions of the Political Reform Act. The status of the FPPC inquiry was not immediately clear.
“The people elected me to fight it,” Barrientos said of the Garaventa Hills project. “If they vote for me for a certain reason, then I should follow-through with that reason. It doesn’t matter what the consequences are.”
“I don’t think it’s illegal … Four years and they may have decided what they’re gonna do. What can they do? Put me in a stockade or something?” he added.
Barrientos confirmed that he does not have a campaign website.
