There was a lot to show off during the Fremont State of the City address, which took place at Fremont Downtown Event Center on June 30.
As Mayor Raj Salwan stepped up to the podium, he introduced a local singer who sang the national anthem. Salwan started his speech by thanking city staff and saying that in his second year as mayor, “Fremont has hit its stride.” He said manufacturing companies will help residents get jobs. There are 33 AI manufacturing facilities in Fremont.
“Seven of the world’s 10 largest AI server makers are building servers right here in Fremont, California,” Salwan said. “We often say that if you use LLM or post on social media, chances are that that server was built in the city of Fremont. And the businesses have increased to three times more than just two years ago.”
Companies that are building AI hardware in the city include Quanta, Hyve, MiTAC and AMAX.
Salwan said the jobs are meant for Fremont youth. “These jobs, these factories, these companies, they’re not just for people from somewhere else. They’re for your kids.”
He talked about how Fremont Manufacturing Week, Engineering Expo and Fremont Tech Week act as starting points for students looking for a stable career. “Ohlone College’s ‘Earn and Learn’ program and manufacturing development program are creating paid on-the-job pathways into real careers,” Salwan said.
Residents who are looking to climb the economic ladder have that support in Fremont.
“Here’s the pipeline I want for every kid in Fremont,” Salwan said. “You start in an FUSD classroom, you build something with your hands at the engineering expo. You earn a credential at Ohlone or Mission Valley ROP, and you walk into a real well-paying career without ever having to leave the city that you grew up in.”
Salwan wants students to think big when it comes to finding their careers. “The students in an FUSD classroom today are the engineers, nurses, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, technicians and council members of Fremont 2050,” he said. “By design, this boom is being built for the next generation of Fremont.”
Salwan also talked about the city’s homelessness response. “Our approach is compassionate, but it is not passive. We offer services, shelter, outreach, behavioral health support, rental assistance and housing navigation.”
He said the city is offering services to the unhoused, but they also want to keep parks and sidewalks clean. “The goal is not to move people from one street to another. It’s to move people towards stability, while restoring public spaces for the entire community.”
Speaking about the Winter Relief program and the city’s housing navigation center, Salwan said the housing center has helped nearly 300 individuals since 2020, and 60% received stable permanent housing.
Salwan touted the city’s budget, and how they were able to re-balance it without laying off any employees. City government topics were also brought up, such as the ballot measure this November for Fremont to become a charter city and speeding up the permitting process for businesses.
Salwan wrapped up his speech by describing a typical experience in Fremont. “Walk through a Fremont Festival on a Saturday, and you’ll hear a dozen languages, smell food from every corner of the world, and see neighbors who come here from everywhere, building our community together,” said Salwan. “We celebrate our differences here, and we champion our diversity. And that’s what makes our community special. And that, too, is Fremont.”
