Candidate for
Council Member; City of Berkeley; Council District 1

Alejandro is committed to being the change he wishes to see in the world. Raised in a diverse community in Richmond, Alejandro understands the importance of responsive local policies that support affordable housing, vibrant and safe neighborhoods, quality schools, and environmentally responsible industry. His passion for creating and sustaining vibrant communities is even more important to him today as he and his wife, Danfeng, raise their six-year old son, Chencho, and four-year old daughter, Alani, in North/West Berkeley.

During the past five years, Alejandro has served as a legislative aide to the Berkeley City Council. In this position he has combined his passion for public service with his training in political science (UC Berkeley, 2005) and law (David A. Clarke School of Law, 2008) to meet the needs of all Berkeley's residents and not just those with the most money or the loudest voices. In City Hall and through various commissions, Alejandro has advocated tirelessly for affordable housing, a meaningful minimum wage increase, and local environmental protections. He has also advocated successfully against unwise public policies like the Sit & Lie Ordinance that attempted to criminalize the homeless without providing real alternatives, and the Rezoning of West Berkeley that lacked community protections and input.

Before his current role in the City, Alejandro fought to prevent gentrification and the displacement of disabled tenants in Washington D.C., and helped to found the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), which built a broad coalition to hold the oil giant Chevron accountable for its health and safety impacts on the surrounding community. Alejandro has served on the Berkeley Public Works Commission, the AC Transit Accessibility Advisory Committee (which ensures transit accessibility for disabled riders in Alameda County), and the board of the Expressions Art Gallery. Currently, Alejandro serves as a commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board and the Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission, and coaches his son's little league baseball team.