Candidate for
Council Member; City of Oakland; District 2

I've been proud to serve as your representative on the Oakland Board of Education. However, I am frustrated by the City's failure to focus on our neighborhoods and children. I am running for City Council because our neighborhoods need an experienced and independent leader to effectively represent us in City Hall. I will work hard to make our neighborhoods safe, support our children, and increase economic opportunities for working families.

Making Neighborhoods Safe

I will not stand by while violence increases. I will place foot patrol officers in every neighborhood to work with residents to solve problems. We will reduce crime by helping young people find jobs, stay out of trouble and lead productive lives. Keeping our parks and playgrounds beautiful, clean and safe is essential.

Real Results: I worked with Roosevelt Middle School parents and neighbors to reclaim the area from gang violence. We organized after-school programs, painted out graffiti, put up a new fence, and replaced lights. Today, Roosevelt has one the highest student attendance rates, and neighborhood crime decreased nearly 20%.

Supporting Our Children

All of us share a responsibility for children, not just our schools. I will expand summer and after-school programs to reach 10,000 kids throughout our diverse city. By pooling city, county, and school district resources, we can greatly expand needed pre-school programs.

Real Results: As your school board representative, I secured over $30 million to renovate our too-often overlooked neighborhood schools. In 1996, I authored Oakland's Kids First! Initiative, generating $9 million annually for children's services without raising taxes. For 25 years, I have directed the East Bay Asian Youth Center, helping neighborhood youth achieve life-long success.

Providing Economic Opportunity

Many of our neighbors need jobs, good public transit and affordable housing. I will ensure that working families get concrete benefits from new development projects. I will get our fair share of City services to clean up blight, repair our streets, and support neighborhood-serving businesses.

Real Results: I am organizing neighbors to negotiate jobs and housing from the Oak-to-Ninth developers for Eastlake, San Antonio, and Chinatown residents. I am partnering with merchants along 23rd Avenue to improve safety, plant street trees, and attract new businesses. We've secured over $600,000 for streetscape improvements and are aggressively seeking more private and public funds.