Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Oakland; District 2

About District 2 City Councilwoman Pat Kernighan

Patricia Kernighan was elected in May 2005 to represent District 2 on the Oakland City Council. The neighborhoods of District 2 include Bella Vista, Chinatown, Crocker Highlands, Eastlake, Grandlake, Haddon Hill, Rose Garden, and the San Antonio).

During her first year in office, Councilmember Kernighan is providing real solutions, outstanding constituent service and promoting neighborhood empowerment. Alongside the community, she is fighting to achieve safer and cleaner neighborhoods, more jobs, affordable housing, and after school programs for youth.

She previously served for four years as chief of staff to District 2 Councilmember Danny Wan and two years as Legislative Aide to former City Councilmember John Russo. During that time she earned the respect of residents of District 2 for being a strong community advocate and legislative expert. As council staff, she worked with neighborhood organizations to fight blight and nuisance, increase communication with the police, and improve neighborhood parks.

Pat played a key role in creating Splashpad Park, Bella Vista Park, and renovating San Antonio Park. She is currently working with the community on master plans for renovating Clinton Park in the Eastlake and Lincoln Square Recreation area in Chinatown. This past year, she brought about the return of City recreation programming for children in San Antonio Park.

In 2001, Pat co-authored Measure DD to renovate parks at Lake Merritt and create trails and parks along Oakland's waterfront. Construction on the Lake Merritt improvements will begin in early 2007.

In her first year on the Council, Pat Kernighan initiated Council action to undertake a strategic plan for bringing major retail to Oakland, a key issue of economic revitalization for our city as a whole. She also champions urban planning decisions that promote walkable and thriving neighborhood commercial areas.

The key priorities for her first full-term are: to fully implement community policing and increase the total number of police officers as mandated by Measure Y; and to promote responsible and sustainable economic development that results in the creation of jobs, more goods and services available locally, and a strengthened tax base for our city.

Since taking office, Kernighan has encouraged community participation in decision-making at City Hall by hosting community meetings in every neighborhood in the District and by advising of upcoming issues and events in her monthly E-newsletter to constituents. Her community email list is more than 2,000 strong, and is a strong organizing and communications vehicle.

Pat is originally from eastern Washington State, graduating from the University of Washington. She has a J.D. degree from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and is a member of the California State Bar. Her work as an attorney included representing low-income clients for the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County.

Pat and her husband, Paul Gordon, live in the Grandlake district of Oakland, where they raised their two daughters, Hannah and Ariel. Pat was a longtime volunteer and advocate in the Oakland public schools and served on the Oakland Library Commission prior to joining the staff of the City Council.