Candidate for
City Council; City of San Diego; District 3

Toni Atkins is a candidate for the Third District City Council seat in San Diego and is running for the open seat to replace San Diego City Councilmember Christine Kehoe who will be out of office because of term limits. Toni has served for the last seven years as a senior Legislative Aide and Council Representative for Councilmember Kehoe. She is currently on a leave of absence from the City Council office.

As a senior aide to Councilmember Kehoe, Toni has been responsible as a policy analyst on issues of housing, economic development, small business, infrastructure, public utilities, planning and land use, as well as City and District Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocations. She has served as the liaison for the gay & lesbian community, senior groups, women's organizations and for the schools located in the district. Toni has served as a staff representative to the Councilmember for South Park, Golden Hill, North Park, Burlingame, Normal Heights, Kensington and Talmadge.

Prior to her work with Councilmember Kehoe, Toni was the Director of Clinic Services for Womencare Clinic and the Los Angeles Feminist Women's Health Center for 5 years. Additionally, Toni has served as President of the Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Executive Vice President of the San Diego Democratic Club, on former Mayor Maureen O'Conner's Gay & Lesbian Advisory Board and on the Womencare Board of Directors. She was recognized in 1997 as San Diego Pride's "Woman of the Year" and by the Non-Profit Federation for Housing and Community Development for "Outstanding Support for Non-Profits in Affordable Housing." She has been a volunteer for the North Park/Hillcrest Citizens patrol and for ElderHelp of San Diego.

Toni is originally from Southwestern Virginia. She graduated from Emory & Henry College with a degree in political science. She owns a home in North Park and has been a District Three resident for the last 15 years.