Sara Lashanlo is honored to be serving the Forward Party of CA as a co-chair for the 2025 season. She got started with politics as a way to build community through purpose-driven work in a new town. Quickly, this social activity turned into a burning passion which led her to Washington DC for a volunteer event on Capitol Hill. It was then that she witnessed the slow pace of change at the federal level. She decided to focus her efforts on pragmatic candidates and local politics, both of which showed more promise in having a stronger and more positive impact. That's where her drive to run for City Council began. As an engineer and a civil servant, Sara felt that she could guide the way towards a more modern, innovative, and peaceful society through pragmatic problem-solving and compassion. While her bid for a seat on the local Council did not result in her election in 2022, she felt a deepened sense of duty to fix a system which is convoluted not only for the public, but for candidates as well. She served the Common Sense Party/Forward Party alliance in 2023, and is so excited to be growing the newly formed Forward Party of California alongside wonderful leadership and incredibly passionate and committed volunteers.