Neysa Fligor joined Los Altos City Council to make the community she resides in better; looking ahead, she’s hoping to bring the lessons learned with her to the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office.
Although the votes have yet to be certified by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, she’s preparing to shift gears from Los Altos City Council to the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office after her apparent success in the assessor’s seat runoff election Dec. 30.
As of Jan. 12, Fligor is winning over opponent Rishi Kumar with just over 65% of counted votes. Kumar has received 34.84% of counted votes. Although before the Town Crier’s print deadline, her resignation is effective after the Jan. 13 Los Altos City Council meeting.
Fligor moved to the city of Los Altos in 2010. Before she joined the City Council in 2018, she served on numerous boards as her way of public service, which she said was her way of giving back to the community in a lasting way.
“If everybody has an opportunity to do that, they should take full advantage of giving back to the community,” she said in a phone call. “Because I think that’s what makes us a strong community for generations to come.”
Fligor was elected to the City Council in 2018; she said she received the most votes for that election and her second bid for council in 2022, which she said is rare. She said she pushed for policies she was passionate about – as a mother to two young children, she said ensuring safe routes to school was a priority.
“One of my priorities was safer routes to school,” she said. “I had young kids, and as someone who believes in walking and biking to school, especially in a city like Los Altos, it was very important to me to ensure that we had the right street improvements that would accommodate our kids to be able to bike or walk to school. And so when I ran in 2018 it was an opportunity to serve the community, but it was also an opportunity for me to work on issues I really cared about.”
During Fligor’s tenure, she worked on a number of projects and policies that she said will benefit the local community for years to come. The city of Los Altos had already been working on solidifying plans for a new community center when Fligor was elected to City Council, but she was proud to be one of the three yes-votes to move the project forward. She was also the one to cut the red tape when the community center opened during her mayoral term in 2021. Fligor also worked with the chamber of commerce and Los Altos Hills to start the annual Veterans Day Celebration, which is now in its fifth year.
Most recently, she was pleased by the City Council approving bike lane additions to the Los Altos sections of El Camino Real – she was one of the three necessary “yes” votes to get the lanes added – and the approval and current building of the all-affordable 330 Distel Circle residential development.
“I was on the council subcommittee that worked directly with the County of Santa Clara and (then-supervisor) Joe Simitian to really move that housing development forward,” Fligor said. “It’s a huge accomplishment for our city to be able to have a 100% affordable housing development that will just allow our community to be richer in so many different ways.”
Her skillset – informed by years of service, including experiences on local boards and commissions, years as an attorney with the Santa Clara County Counsel and legal counsel at Hewlett-Packard Company – are what informed her leadership and collaboration styles.
Councilmember Jonathan Weinberg, elected to City Council in 2020, worked with Fligor since they served on the Los Altos Parks and Recreation Commission prior to their council elections. He said he wouldn’t be on council without Fligor’s support and encouragement.
“While we don’t always agree on policy issues, I deeply respect her careful preparation, attention to detail and thoughtful analysis on every issue,” Weinberg stated in an email. “Neysa always puts residents and the needs of our community first. She was a fantastic mayor in 2021 and consistently brought a high standard of professionalism to the city council.”
Councilmember Sally Meadows said that Fligor’s positivity and persuasive nature were beneficial on council, not only because she could connect well with her colleagues, but also with residents.
“Neysa is unfailingly cheerful. I don’t recall ever seeing her in a bad mood, even in the most difficult situations or in the rare instances where she can’t persuade her colleagues to come around to her position,” Meadows stated in an email. “She is able to connect with almost everybody she meets, which is why she elicits such strong support in our community and beyond. We are fortunate she has served our city so well over the past seven years and that she will continue doing so as our new county assessor.”
Fligor has been in the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office for quite some time already, serving as special assistant and most recently assistant assessor. She noted the Santa Clara County Assessor’s role is much different than her previous roles on Los Altos City Council.
While the council is a collaborative legislative body and the assessor’s role is an executive administrative role, she’s seen the impact being responsive, thoughtful and listening has on the community one serves and will bring that collaboration with her.
“You engage with them when they give you feedback, and you factor that into your decisions – all those things that you do as a council member in serving the community are things you I will continue to do in the assessor’s office,” Fligor said. “It’s something that I can tell you many of my supporters from Los Altos, many of the people who have supported me over the years, that’s one of the things they’ve said.”
Although her new office is based in San Jose, Fligor said she will continue to reside in Los Altos.
