Address the Public Safety Crisis

When people call 911, they deserve a fast response. Today, District 2 faces some of the highest gun violence rates in Oakland. Our police force is stretched thin, leading to slow emergency response times and costly overtime. Here’s how I’ll improve public safety:

● Fix OPD’s staffing crisis—Oakland has the 4th highest caseload of violent crimes per officer in the nation, and some top-priority callers have waited over an hour for help. Understaffing forces costly overtime, leading to exhausted officers and more use-of-force complaints.
● Build community trust by committing to a community policing model where officers get to know their beats and work in partnership with neighborhood councils. Less than 10% of our police officers live in Oakland. I’ll build hiring pipelines from Laney, Merritt, and Oakland public schools. Publicly accessible body camera footage and a fair, independent review process for officers under investigation for misconduct are essential ways to build trust.
● Combat human trafficking in District 2 by cracking down on johns and traffickers. I’ll support programs like MISSEY which empower survivors.
● Sustain violence prevention programs like Ceasefire and gun buybacks, and reforming non-police response systems like MACRO.
● Improve fire and medical emergency response by reversing fire station brownouts.

Read my detailed plan for public safety here. Read more about how the small size of Oakland's police force impacts our community here.

Jobs and Opportunity

Too many people are shut out of opportunity, and are living paycheck to paycheck in Oakland. At the same time, our budget deficit requires us to get creative about generating more tax revenue. I have specific plans around the economic development I'd like to bring to Oakland:

● Green Manufacturing Jobs: Oakland can be part of the solution to climate change and create high-quality jobs in the process. With one of the West Coast’s busiest ports and vacant manufacturing warehouses, and new federal funding for renewable energy at the port, Oakland has all the ingredients for a green manufacturing boom. My experience leading renewable energy infrastructure programs in the Biden-Harris administration positions me to effectively allocate these grants to revitalize our green manufacturing sector. I’ll offer tax incentives to green manufacturers that set up in Oakland, go after grant funding opportunities, and partner with public schools to build hiring pipelines into green manufacturing careers.

● An Oakland Cultural Renaissance: District 2 is the proud home of Chinatown, Little Saigon, and Lakeshore’s LGBTQ+ cultural district. If elected, I'll work to expand events like the Sunset Market at Clinton Square Park that support local businesses and build community. I'll work to make Little Saigon a formal cultural district with tax incentives for small businesses. A condition of lower taxes on these businesses would be a requirement to give back to the local community, for example, by providing free classes to youth and seniors. Then, we can reinvest the eventual rise in property values in and around these cultural districts into community land trusts for permanent affordable housing to ensure there is no displacement in the neighborhood. The same way New York had a Harlem Renaissance, we should have an Oakland Renaissance too.
● Programs for Youth: Let’s connect young people with summer jobs and partner with Oakland businesses to create internship opportunities for students. Oakland youth deserve safe and clean parks. I’ll work to finish Lincoln Rec Center improvements, update San Antonio Park’s master plan, and encourage Parks & Rec to collaborate with community partners and public schools.

A New Strategy for Homelessness

Oakland’s homeless response system is failing, leaving people on the streets without urgent help. I will push for immediate action to address this crisis by:
● Using Oakland’s $7.2 million Encampment Resolution Fund to close 12th Street and Grand Lake encampments and connect people to real shelter and services.
● Training first responders on the county’s CARE Court system to ensure people get the treatment they need.
● Ending long wait lists by implementing a strategy that moves people off the streets quickly with housing, social services, and employment.
● Launching an “Oakland Corps” program to provide homeless people with jobs cleaning up trash and planting trees. Connecting jobs to housing, counseling, and a resource center will help people turn their lives around.
● Demanding contractor accountability by ensuring that all service providers track services delivered and results.
● I have the experience to lead on this issue. I co-authored a homelessness strategy to get youth and young adults off the streets of Massachusetts as quickly as possible that was recognized by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government with a distinguished award.

Balanced Budget, Address Corruption

Oakland has a $170 million dollar budget deficit. If we can't balance our budget, the city will be forced to make painful cuts to essential services like public safety. My experience is designing and managing large government budgets with an eye towards efficiency and maximum service delivery. Read about my plan to balance the budget here.

My grandparents lived in West Oakland affordable housing, raising me on the weekends. District 2's Chinatown community was a source of stability and inspiration when my family faced poverty and violence. Today, Chinatown businesses, like so many across District 2 and the city, are boarded up from crime. Unsafe conditions, high costs, and broken status quo politics are holding Oakland back. We deserve experienced, responsive leadership that will deliver change.

My record is effective, results-oriented leadership. I reformed Massachusetts’ homeless response system to house people faster, ensuring those in crisis received immediate support. As a Biden-Harris administration official, I led an infrastructure program that reconnected segregated neighborhoods and created second-chance jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals. In Oakland, I’ve helped fund services for sex trafficking victims as a nonprofit board member. As a County Consumer Affairs Commissioner, I protect Oakland seniors from fraud. With this experience, I’m ready to deliver on housing, public safety, and revitalized business districts to make Oakland safe, clean, and affordable.

As your councilmember, I’ll push for cost-effective homeless housing and treatment, stronger public safety with root-cause solutions, and thriving business districts. Together, we can make Oakland safe, clean, and affordable—a place we’re proud to call home.

I can’t do it alone. With the April 15 special election fast approaching. I need your help to knock on doors, make calls, and talk to your neighbors. Please sign up to volunteer and help power our campaign!