Pleasanton Vice Mayor Jeff Nibert stepping down at the end of the year

PLEASANTON — Pleasanton Vice Mayor Jeff Nibert is stepping down from the City Council this year, forgoing a bid for reelection in November and opening the seat for a new District 1 representative.

“There’s things that I’m satisfied with and I’m proud of that the city and council have accomplished together. And there are certain things that will be left for the future council to solve,” Nibert told this news organization Tuesday. “It’s truly been an honor. It’s one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve the residents of Pleasanton in this way.”

Nibert, who has served on the council since 2022, said he recently decided to retire from public service to focus more on traveling the world and spending time with his three adult children and two young grandchildren.

“I look forward to being more a part of their lives,” Nibert said. “It’s that time in my life where these are the kinds of things grandparents love to do.”

At 66 years old, Nibert said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Joan, and exploring his interests in genealogy and history. He said he was “deeply grateful” for his wife’s support during his time on the council.

A resident of Pleasanton for 37 years, he previously earned a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California.

Nibert served on the Planning Commission in 2020 before joining the council. He currently serves in several other political positions through the region, including on the Dublin Liaison Committee, Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District Committee, Altamont Landfill Community Monitor Committee, the Livermore Amador Valley Water Management Agency and the Tri-Valley San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority, among others.

While in office, he helped the city streamline its housing processes to meet state requirements, and he worked closely with former City Manager Gerry Beaudin to develop the city’s first asset management plan before Beaudin left his position earlier this year for Alameda.

“I really loved him as a city manager and thought he was absolutely fantastic. I really regret losing him to Alameda recently,” Nibert said.

Nibert was a vocal champion for Measure PP – a first-of-its-kind half-cent sales tax proposed to voters in 2024 that died at the ballot box. Nibert called it a regret that the council could not get residents to pass the tax, which he said would have helped the city solve its structural deficit issues that led to recent budget cuts throughout Pleasanton.

“That was very disappointing. It would have gone a long way in order to solve the structural deficit,” Nibert said.

Facing a roughly $100 million deficit through the next several years, the council approved significant cuts to the public library and other city services last year and is proposing a new hotel tax on November’s ballot to generate additional revenue.

“Without significant new revenue, as well as the budget cuts that have already been implemented, it’s still going to be a lingering concern,” Nibert said. “I wanted to attack the structural deficit in an aggressive form in order to come up with an actual plan to eliminate that structural deficit in about 7 to 8 years. In my opinion, there will be significantly more cuts yet to come.”

Nibert is not the only councilmember stepping down at the end of the year. He will be joined by Councilwoman Julie Testa.

Nibert and Testa were political allies on the dais, often casting minority opposing votes against fellow members Mayor Jack Balch, and Councilmember Matt Gaidos and Craig Eicher.

“My favorite thing has been talking with the residents in our community,” Nibert said. “Before being engaged in public service I hadn’t had a lot of those types of discussions. But being on City Council, I had those types of discussions all the time. I learned a lot from talking to residents, both in person over the phone and through email, and I found that overall enjoyable. I’m definitely going to miss that part.”