On September 22, I will ask the City Council to approve the following new appointments to the Planning Commission, filling all vacant seats:

• Alpa Agarwal has served four years on the Economic Development Commission. She has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration - Information Systems from the University of Missouri. She has worked for Microsoft, eBay and Intuit and founded and currently works for TravelMyHeart. “If you are tormented by an everlasting itch to travel, to someplace new and exciting, near or far, for what you can afford, for the weather you fancy and for the interests that make you happy, TravelMyHeart makes it fast and fun for you to find it.” Alpa lives in the Hilltop Neighborhood.

• Masoomeh Sharifi Soofiani has a Master’s Degree in Urban Design from UC Berkeley and works for Van Meter Williams Pollack, Architecture and Planning, in San Francisco. Masoomeh has experience in urban design, city planning sustainable development, land use and affordable housing. She has lived in Richmond for 11 years and currently resides in the Maria Bay Neighborhood.

• Bruce Brubaker has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley and is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional. He is a principal at Placeworks in Berkeley where he heads the Urban Design Studio. He has expertise in architecture, site planning, design standards and guidelines, streetscape design, public participation including management of multiday charrettes, and creation of Transit-oriented Development plans, downtown plans, specific plans and neighborhood plans. Bruce is a member of TRAC (Trails for Richmond Action Committee), has lived in Richmond for 30 years and lives in the Point Richmond neighborhood.