Political newcomer Shakir Khan ready to tackle challenges on Lodi’s Eastside
For one of the newest faces on the Lodi City Council, the world of politics is uncharted territory.
“I’m not a politician,” Shakir Khan said. “My background is not involvement in any kind of politics, but the reason I got into politics is ... one the Eastside, there’s a lot of things that are going on that I think we need to improve. It’s like our heritage. We’re growing Lodi, but we keep forgetting about the Eastside.”
Some of those challenges include trashed alleys, gang violence, drug houses and homelessness, and Khan said a lot of people are moving out of the area to escape.
“We love this city, and we want to make sure that we can provide a safe, clean environment for our residents so they can have peace of mind,” he said. “That’s the only thing I ran on. I want to make sure people are not afraid to come to city hall.”
Born in Pakistan, Khan immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 with his family, attending Washington Elementary, Lodi Middle and Tokay High schools.
He had never run for any kind of school office, but over the years has been involved with community efforts such as homeless food drives and the Pakistani American
Association of San Joaquin County
Earlier this year, he purchased the Round House Tavern on Lodi Avenue with the intention to turn it into a bar or restaurant to begin incubating businesses in parts of Lodi that are not downtown.
While he has done some work on the former bar, which he said has been vacant since about 2012, that project is still going through the permit process with the city’s community development department.
“I think all other buildings in our downtown, we need to get investors involved instead of losing those buildings,” he said. “Those buildings are becoming vacant, they’re being used by the homeless or they’re burning. These are our heritage and we need to save these things.”
Aside from the blight, crime and homelessness in his district, Khan would like to repair the Eastside’s aging infrastructure. He acknowledged the city recently repaved a lot of streets there, which residents are happy about. He said the district’s sewer lines and older alleyways are also in need of upgrades.
While this will be his first foray into politics, Khan said he isn’t worried about being a newcomer to the city council.
“Every time a new person comes into politics, there’s ups and downs, and that’s just part of it,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with all the council members. The night I knew I was up, even though the results were not final, I messaged JoAnne Mounce and Natalie Bowman and Ramon Yepez, thanking them for doing great campaigns. What I think is that if we work together, we’re strong, united, and things would work out no matter what differences we had.”
Khan will join city council shrouded in controversy. He was arrested by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office deputies Oct. 28 on charges of money laundering, conspiracy and illegally operating a gambling business in Stockton. He has declined to comment on the arrest, directing inquiries to his attorney, Allen Sawyer. Calls to Sawyer have not been returned.
More than a month after his arrest, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office has yet to file charges against Khan.
Khan has some big shoes to fill come 2021, as he replaced Mounce on the council with his win last month. He said while Mounce did a great job for Lodi, now was the time for new leadership.
“Things have changed,” he said. “It’s been 16 years and people wanted to see something different. She worked hard and did a great job, but right now, people want to see more improvement, and that’s why the election happened. People felt lost and forgotten, and you have to make sure everyone is involved.”
Khan will be sworn in to the council on Dec. 16.