I am a born and raised San Francisco native and a 4th generation ILWU member. I am currently with ILWU Local 34 Marine Clerks. I have been the Legislative Committee Rep and Northern Cal District Council delegate for the past 8 years. Most recently I was heavily involved in organizing Anchor Steam Brewery and now Tartine Bakery into the ILWU Local 6 Warehouse Division.

Respectfully request your support in the upcoming ADEM election. Am a member of the Labor Caucus, Women’s Caucus and Rural Caucus. Wish to support the work of the Democratic Party utilizing my organizing and fundraising experience. Am a Working America volunteer. and board member of the WA Education Fund. Working America is the commmunity union of the AFL-CIO. It focuses on fostering good jobs, a fair economy and a democracy where the voices of working people count for more than the money of big corporate interests. Founded in 2003, WA has over 3.5 million members across the country. It recruits members year-round at their doors utilizing issue-based deep canvassing – listening to what folks have to say. And it builds local political infrastructure with members who wish to become more active participating local community action teams that focus on issues important to their communities.

Worked with Lora Jo Foo to raise funds and brought Working America to the Central Valley for the 2018 Congressional races. Our bilingual professional canvassing staff reached working class communities in CDs 10 and 21. Over 800 Bay Area volunteer canvassers augmented paid staff, canvassing door-to-door on WA’s core issues: health care, education, jobs/economy, retirement security, corporate accountability, and workers’ rights. Staff and volunteers engaged in voter contact persuasion in the run-up to the November 2018 election.

Background: Served as pro-bono attorney at Kazan McClain Satterley & Greenwood from 1991 until retiring mid-2019. My work focused on worker safety and health and involved legislative, regulatory and policy advocacy, impact litigation, training and technical assistance. Also volunteered with AFL-CIO voter protection programs. Was previously legal counsel for the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, the umbrella organization for building trades unions in California. Earlier worked for Cal/OSHA heading the Bureau of Investigations to prosecute employers responsible for worker deaths and serious injuries. Also worked for the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, taught law school at the University of San Francisco, and began my legal career as a public defender in several jurisdictions.

Am a founding mother of Worksafe, a statewide worker health and safety advocacy organization. And am a board member of KidsCareEverywhere.

Hello. I have been a public school teacher for the past 10 years and for the last 5 years a mentor to new teachers. I have been intently involved in our school’s community and in doing so, I will bring a voice, experience, and progress that our students need to succeed. I am hoping this experience will bring me closer to the democratic process, but also because I believe it is our duty to do what we can for our state and country. I am a proud American, but I always think of my worldly presence, and how I can help the human experience. I believe in trust, spirituality, and integrity. I think single mothers are the backbone of this country and greater support is needed for these women, especially those in typically disenfranchised communities. I am a believer that it takes a community to raise a child and look to all humans as my brother and sister. If selected, it would be an honor to serve the communities I represent. Currently, I live with my husband and two dogs. As a person in the LGBTQ community, I am a fight for transgender rights and protections. Moreover, drug addiction and mental health care should be made priorities and properly funded to address the growing number of people living without homes. The increasingly high cost of rent and gentrification of the Bay Area is creating a homogenous society that more and more is about profit over humans.

Having personally benefitted from social services which supported me in rebuilding my life and getting back on my feet after decades of living in crisis, I feel it is a gift to be able to support my communities in helping others to do the same – making things better for us all. A black, gay, substance use disorder survivor, I’ve served on non-profit and municipal boards including chairing the San Francisco Behavioral Health Commission. I’ve also been a guest speaker and panelist at conferences focused on addiction recovery.

My goal for representing at CADEM is to deepen my participation in the democratic process. The time has come to replace the systemic discrimination so ingrained in our society with the systemic equity our party embodies. The events and challenges of this past year and in recent years have opened a window of opportunity to shake off our political complacency and make bold changes that transcend social and political identities. I want to be a part of that.

My name is Julian LaRosa, and I’m running to serve as a delegate for Assembly District 17 in the California Democratic Party to ensure that our Party works for working people, led by grassroots movements centered on racial, social, economic, and environmental justice.

Times of crisis and runaway inequality demand a bold vision, immediate action, and conviction to see it through. The people of California deserve a Party that will stand with and fight for everyday working class people, not corporations and billionaires.

I’ve volunteered and worked on numerous successful campaigns for progressive leaders, organized protests and sit-ins to stand up to the rise of fascism, and worked to advocate for universal healthcare, support for our veterans, and an end to the Forever War.

As an organizer with the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition and California Public Banking Alliance, I have worked with community groups, elected leaders, and experts to take on Wall Street and mobilize a grassroots movement to create an equitable alternative to the predatory monopoly of Wall Street megabanks and give local communities a voice in how our money is invested. Last year, I co-founded the National Public Banking Alliance to take our movement across the nation. Most recently, we crafted the Public Banking Act with Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

And now, I’m running to serve as a delegate to the California Democratic Party to bring progressive values and a steadfast commitment to the movement so that together we can democratize the Democratic Party and make it work for working people.

As a renter, parent, community organizer, and democratic socialist, I believe that housing, healthcare, and education are human rights.

I believe that people are the foundation of our nation, not the profits of the wealthiest corporations. For democracy to survive, government and the Democratic Party should be accountable to everyday people rather than their wealthiest donors.

I believe in a Green New Deal in California to combat climate disaster and mobilize a just transition and economic recovery, Medicare For All, and electing candidates from the grassroots movements to transform our grandest dreams into reality.

If you believe in these basic principals as I do, I would be honored to have your support and help build a Democratic Party for the people.

Cherelle Jackson was recently recognized as International Association of Women’s 2020-2021 Influencer of the year. Cherelle Jackson served as an essential worker during the pandemic providing countless public services to those who needed it the most including elderly, individuals experiencing homelessness, and veterans. As a community activist, I continue to server underserved, and underrepresented communities. Cherelle has active experience in Financial case management, and working with those in underserved communities, and those dealing with mental health. She finds a passion in public service and would make a great difference in office by contributing her grassroot expertise and passion for politics. She obtained a Master’s degree in Political Science Public Policy & Public Administration. She also obtained a B.A in Psychology Concentration Sociology. She has had the opportunity to own a small facial & cosmetic business called Platinum Rose.

Cherelle is actively involved in several organizations. She was recently recognized on the Network Univision. She has founded, and became the Madam President of Black Voices and Allies Leadership Committee in order to create a safe space for black voices, leaders, allies, and activist to come together to discuss discrimination, including police brutality, and public safety reform. In order to raise awareness in August we took a cohort of members to Washington D.C from San Francisco, CA to march with Rev. Al Sharpton at the March On Washington D.C. with the National Action Network. Cherelle also serves on the California State Assembly District 17 African American Advisory Committee. She is also the member of SEIU Local 1021, and actively support the labor movement. She serves as 2nd Secretary of Committee On Political Education (COPE). She is also member of United Democratic Club, AFRAM African American Caucus, Women’s Caucus, CDP African Caucus, and also a member CDP Women’s Caucus. At the local level she has served as member of the Excelsior Action group, Excelsior District Improvement Association in order to provide supportive development of resources to help small business thrive. She has recently began working closely with the DSA, Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color on the DefundSFPD NOW for public safety reform. “Lets work with all communities to uplift their voices, and inspire a remarkable future.”

I am a first-generation born to immigrant parents from Mexico and the daughter of a working-class family. I’ve lived in the Bayview my entire life, and I’ve seen the systemic challenges brought to my neighborhood and other marginalized communities. My main worries consist of low educational funding, public amenity abandonment, safety neglect, over-policing, and food deserts. Now more than ever, we need more young diverse voices working with our communities to better advocate for transformative policy, challenge the establishment and fight for our working class communities. My political activism started with CPA (Chinese Progressive Association) in 2014. I became politicized through the Youth Movement of Justice and Organizing (Youth MOJO), a CPA branch program. Through Youth MOJO, I had the opportunity to conduct and plan workshops, attend weekly meetings, and develop a deep understanding of the issues most critical to San Francisco. Here, I forged alliances between Latinx and Pacific Islander communities through shared experiences and goals for social justice. Now I am in my final year of college, double majoring in Psychology and Ethnic Studies to learn more about our communities’ needs and how we can successfully advocate and achieve legislative victories to build an infrastructure based on representation and social needs. I am a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Harvey Milk Democratic Club. I have served as a staffer on local electoral campaigns, including coordinated campaigns, and participated in mutual aid organizing alongside my Bayview neighbors and Black community leaders. I believe in immigrant rights, racial and class justice, gender equality and equity, education as a right for all, healthcare for all, criminal justice reform, and climate protection. My priorities include working with people of color, the working-class, queer and transgender people, immigrants, young people, and labor to fight for equitable policies, voter engagement, homelessness, affordable housing, climate change and issues that directly impact redlined lower income communities of color. As a young person of color, a native San Franciscan, and as someone who has been heavily involved in campaigns and politics for the past five years, I firmly believe that we can not move onward without having everyone in our community involved in the process.

My name is Calvin Quick and I use he/him pronouns. I have been a youth activist since high school, working both locally and at the state level on issues from the climate crisis to youth engagement, and have served for two and a half years on the SF Youth Commission. From agitating for our state, federal, and local governments to take bold steps to curb emissions in the face of climate change-induced disasters, to advocating for San Francisco to invest in community care not policing and incarceration, I am driven by the knowledge that a better world is possible if we fight for it.

Although the Democratic Party currently has complete control of California state government, it is failing to hold elected officials accountable to the radical change needed to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. California needs to reach net zero emissions in at least a decade if we want to avoid the most devastating impacts of the crisis, yet while California burns, our state leadership takes fossil fuel money and continues to approve permits for oil and gas extraction despite promises to stop. The Democratic Party must thoroughly reevaluate its priorities if it is to lead a just transition to a fossil fuel-free future in time for our planet to survive.

The Democratic Party also needs to stop inching around the edges of systemic racism in policing and incarceration with toothless reforms and commit to reducing the presence of police in all communities. Many Democratic candidates continue to take money from police fraternities, and our Democratic governor refuses to close prisons, even as COVID-19 poses a deadly threat to incarcerated people. The CDP must cut all ties with law enforcement groups and advocate for defunding police at all levels of government and reinvesting in programs that actually keep people safe (de-escalation and mental health first responders, employment programs, universal healthcare, etc).

If elected, I will be an independent, progressive voice within the California Democratic Party. I will fight for greater urgency on the climate crisis and on the structural racism embodied by our policing and carceral systems. I will fight healthcare and housing for all. Above all, I commit to holding our party, its leaders, and its endorsed candidates accountable to the bold change that we need.

I am running for Assembly District Delegate because I have firsthand experience on the importance of Healthcare equality for all. I work as a Medical Assistant in San Francisco and I’ve lived in this district for over 25 years. I am a proud union member and Shop Steward with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers-West, serving on the Executive Board and representing 500 frontline healthcare workers in my facility. I recently managed a virtual phone bank operation during the general election on behalf of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Mark Kelly in Arizona. I am currently volunteering my time for the Georgia Senate run-off because I believe that if we want to see change we have to step up! I humbly ask for your vote to elect April Crawford on January 23rd!!

My name is Dr. Michael Losak. I am an Emergency Medicine physician currently practicing at Stanford Hospital, and I am running to be your delegate in Assembly District 17. I have lived in the district since I moved here for residency 5 years ago and have been deeply involved in the community since that time. During residency, I led efforts to unionize residents and fellows at UCSF as a chapter of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU. We won recognition in 2017 and in doing so became the largest new public sector union in California that year; to my knowledge, this recognition also made us the largest new physician union in American history. Our work set off a wave of physician unionization in the state. More than four thousand University of California physicians organized in the next three years and were able to advocate for patient safety, expanded access to healthcare, and worker protections.

Now as a physician during a pandemic who both works clinically in the ER and in hospital operations, I can personally attest to the importance of ensuring universal access to healthcare for all Californians and protecting those who provide essential services. As a queer-identified person, I hope to represent the joy and progressivism of the San Francisco LGBTQ community to the broader California Democratic Party Caucus by advocating for social justice, racial equality, and environmental protections in addition to pro-labor and pro-healthcare work. It would be an honor and a pleasure to represent such a wonderful city and its voters.

Fifteen years ago, my family and I immigrated from China to San Francisco and have been living in Visitacion Valley ever since. I love the Southeast side for the vibrant and diverse community and the hidden scenery throughout the neighborhood. I’ve also attended public schools in the Visitacion Valley and Portola neighborhoods. However, living on the southeast side of San Francisco and working with the community, I’ve seen many injustices that neighborhood faces. My main concerns are the lack of language accessibility for the monolingual community and underfunded public schools. It is time that our neighborhood has someone who will fight and advocate for our monolingual seniors, families, and youth.

I began organizing in high school and have continued my journey as an organizer since. For years, I fought for the economic and social justice of our immigrant and Chinese community. I started my advocacy as a youth organizer in Chinese Progressive Association to fight against wage theft, provide political education to other youths, and fight for affordable housing with communities of color. As a University student in UC Riverside (UCR), I organized the 2018 Student of Color Conference for UC students throughout California, educating students on the intersectionality between race and education justice. It is also in UCR where I received my double major in Economics and Chinese, strengthening my knowledge in the path to achieving economic justice in marginalized communities.

Over the summers, I continue organizing as a staffer in local campaigns, building the bridge between communities of color and city officials. I am a proud member of the Rose Pak Democratic Club and the San Francisco Young Democrats. As a legislative intern at City Hall, I have worked with the Chinese community to address violence against seniors, researched solutions to neighborhood concerns for drafting legislations, and held town halls to bring community voices to the legislative process.

So many working-class families, including my own, are continuing to struggle especially during this current pandemic. Thus, I am running as a delegate for the California Democratic Party in AD-17 to continue the fight for equity and justice for families and individuals alike as well as advocate for language access for our immigrant communities to be able to participate in the democratic process.

Bivett Brackett, is a business and grassroots community advocate, working for the people of San Francisco. Growing up in up the Fillmore district, she has worked tirelessly to make sure the people’s voice can be heard in the decisions impacting her community.

As a leader on the Community Investment and Infrastructure Commission, she was instrumental in preserving affordable housing rights for thousands of families who were displaced by the former SF Redevelopment Agency.

As strong and committed Democrat, she will bring the needs of Democrats in Assembly District 17, to improve the platform of our party. This past year, she demonstrated the ability to connect community and civic engagement with her creative COVID-safe campaigns which helped increase Census and Voter registrations participation throughout District 10 and 9.

As a member of the Mayors Economic Recovery Taskforce, Bivett was able to work with local restaurants to ensure they remain in business despite Shelter in place restrictions.

Bivett is also a proud San Francisco PRIDE Board member, serves on BWOPA, SF African American Chamber Commerce, Co-Founder of SF Black Wallstreet, and was a member of MegaBlack so her connections throughout the community is fluid.

I hope she can count on your support!

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I am a first generation Iranian American raised in a Sufi Muslim household. My parents grew up in poverty in Iran, with no running water or electricity and they sacrificed everything to give me a better life.

After moving to the United States in their early 20s, my parents struggled and faced discrimination. My dad lost his longtime fast food job to a subordinate and my mom was a bank teller for 16 years, only to lose her job when she was diagnosed with cancer. A labor union saved our family when my dad got a job as a mail carrier with union pay and union benefits. We depended on my dad’s healthcare and his paycheck to survive my mom’s cancer, his heart attack, and his unsuccessful battle with leukemia.

When I was in high school, 9/11 forced me to face discrimination against Muslims head on. George W. Bush put Iran in his “axis of evil” and peers casually called me Osama bin Laden. Instead of accepting the status quo, I joined the Bay Area Iranian American Democrats. We passed the first of its kind resolution at the California Democratic Party Convention to urge diplomacy with Iran over military force.

Today, as an elected member of the California Democratic Party, I sit on the same committee that passed that resolution over a decade ago, which makes fighting for more progressive and inclusive values a lot easier than it was as an 18 year old outsider.

My parents’ difficult immigrant experience helped develop in me a grit and determination that only comes from overcoming life’s challenges, and blazed a path that allowed me to become a lawyer. My family history is why I fight to tear down the barriers facing our immigrant communities and for all people no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they identify.

Change doesn’t come easy. To win, we have to be activists at the grassroots level and at the highest levels of power. I am running to uphold our progressive Democratic Party values, and I will fight for a California Democratic Party that advocates for dignity, equality, and inclusion in our community and in the halls of government.

In Solidarity,

My name is Chris Corgas and I am a 4th generation San Franciscan from the Excelsior. I was raised in a multigenerational household by my maternal grandmother and parents. My mom was a public high school teacher and my dad was a caterer, a custodian, and public works supervisor. I attended Riordan High School, the College of San Mateo, earned a B.A. in International Relations/Political Science from UC San Diego, and earned a Master’s in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

I currently serve as the Program Director for the Community Benefit District program in San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. I work to empower diverse communities to develop and implement strategies which improve the overall quality of life in targeted commercial districts and mixed-use neighborhoods. I have had the honor of working with community leaders and neighbors in some of the City’s most vibrant neighborhoods, including the Castro, Noe Valley, Japantown, Polk Street, Union Square, Yerba Buena, the Excelsior, SOMA, and the Tenderloin.

I have always been committed to the well-being of all San Franciscans. I have served on the governing board of the Mission YMCA since 2014 and am the current Secretary for the Golden Gate Australian Football League. I have advocated on behalf of underrepresented neighbors in District 11 such as the English-learning community, working class families, and the area’s small businesses. I am a former member of SEIU 1021 and served on its bargaining team and COPE. I am currently a proud member of IFPTE Local 21. I was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the 1A District Agricultural Association, commonly known as the Cow Palace Board of Directors. I led efforts to increase outreach to underrepresented communities adjacent to the facility and to solidify a ban on gun shows on facility property.

I am running for Assembly District Delegate because the Democratic Party has historically been the champion of the working class, small businesses, immigrant communities that I grew up with and I want to continue to be a part of the fight for dignity and equality for all. I want to ensure that we continue to champion pragmatic, progressive, and commonsense solutions, rooted in equity and social justice, to ensure the people who laid the foundation of this state are represented by the California Democratic Party.

My name is Annie Fryman. I have spent the last five years working in housing and transportation policy, designing and championing ambitious legislation for state Senator Scott Wiener. I am a rent-controlled tenant in the Lower Haight, living in a tiny apartment above a Muni stop with two roommates and a half dozen old bicycles.

I was born in central Kentucky and moved to the Bay Area as a young adult ten years ago, pursuing a career in community architecture. After practicing design at a studio in San Francisco and seeing how the housing shortage and affordability crisis devastated our communities during a time of unprecedented and unequal economic growth, I committed myself to community organizing for better housing policy, and ultimately made a career shift away from design into housing and transportation policy. I worked in the State Capitol for Senator Wiener’s first four-year term as State Senator, helping dozens of diverse coalitions in the progressive movement negotiate robust changes to how California approaches housing in our urban centers and suburbs, resulting in thousands of new units of affordable housing under construction across the state, and hundreds of thousands more planned over the next decade.

I’m running for Assembly District delegate because the California Democratic Party needs to be bolder and more inclusive in how we approach our housing shortage and affordability crisis, particularly in transit and job-rich places like San Francisco. I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

My name is Gladys Soto. I’m a Peruvian immigrant, Latina activist, former candidate for School Board, long time Democratic Party community leader, parent leader, proud member of SEIU 1021, EMERGE graduate, board member of the United Democratic Club, and member of the California Democratic Party State Central Committee since 2010.

Since 2003, I have volunteered and worked on many progressive San Francisco campaigns. I also spent 15 years working in the nonprofit sector providing direct services to seniors, adults, families and youth with substance abuse and mental health issues.

I have been involved in the community with Parent Voices San Francisco for over a decade, as an advocate for better childcare policy at the local, regional and national level, and as a former fellow of the Family Independence Initiative. I was honored to receive the 2013 Patty Siegel Child Care Champion award by the Children’s Council of San Francisco for my work with Parents Voices. During this pandemic, as a city employee, I have been deployed as a disaster worker to work at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development Information Line and the Latino Task Force assisting over two thousand community members navigate the process of their EDD application and other financial resources.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited me to be a featured speaker at her 2017 Health Care Town Hall at Delancey Street. I shared my story about how the Affordable Care Act saved my son William’s life because it covered his pre-existing condition and the expensive drugs needed to manage his severe asthma and keep him healthy.

I’m running for Assembly District Delegate because I have lived through why universal healthcare must be a right. I will continue to advocate for inclusive and equitable reform within the Democratic Party in order to create real and lasting change. I look forward to serving once again as your Assembly District 17 Democratic Party delegate. I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

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My name is Thea Selby. I am a San Francisco small business owner; a mom of two public-school-educated boys; co-chair of the San Francisco Transit Riders, the largest transit advocacy group in the Bay Area; and an elected Trustee of City College of San Francisco.

I am very concerned about the future of small businesses that have been hit hard by COVID, especially local merchants, and think large corporations have too much influence and power within the Democratic Party. I would like to see the party focus on supporting small businesses, not Wall Street, and focus on boots on the ground, not taking large donations from corporations.

I am worried about our kids, who have been relegated to virtual schooling at home during COVID and are facing a growing knowledge gap created by distance learning and unequal internet access. I propose a Public Fiber Network so that we all have access to information equally.

There is too big a gap between the Democratic Party and people who vote Democrat. I want to help build a party that is inclusive and gives opportunity for all, that has the back of the good politicians and has the power to push successfully for much-needed policy, like #HealthCare4All, #NoStudentDebt, and #PublicTransit4all.

We are facing an existential crisis with climate change. I am passionate about saving and growing public transit, as cars and trucks make up 40% of California carbon emissions, and will work to keep public transit and climate in the forefront of what we are doing.

Finally, I am passionate about higher education. I was a strong supporter of Proposition 15, the split roll, as a means of righting the damage Prop 13 has done to our educational system. The Democratic Party can and should be a big part of whatever comes next.

I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

My name is Kristen Webb (she, her/s). I believe representation is how we correct injustice and am dedicated to fighting for better representation of women, people of color, and the LGBT community at all levels of government. I am committed to being a leader who empowers marginalized communities. I serve as a California Democratic Party Assembly District 17 Delegate, participating in the Environmental, LGBT and Women’s caucuses. I am an Emerge CA Alumna and a board member of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, United Democratic Club, and the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee.

As a breast cancer survivor, who lost my sister to the disease, I have experienced the challenges of navigating the healthcare system and the failings of the insurance companies firsthand. I will fight for universal healthcare and a system that protects everyone.

I believe everyone should have the right to basic needs, including healthcare, a home, and reliable transportation. The same year my sister died, my parents lost their house to foreclosure. We cannot continue to ignore people who are struggling. I will fight so everyone has a universal basic income to ensure Californians can meet their most essential needs.

I am the Director of Public Outreach for a local woman-owned business and serve as a community liaison on several infrastructure projects in Bayview-Hunters Point. I have experience developing and directing strategic communication and outreach plans for multiple, highly technical projects in the infrastructure, water, and wastewater fields. And believe in advancing policies to create a safe, secure future for all populations in San Francisco, for their vitality, economy, and safety.

That includes investing in green technologies and building a transportation system that works for everyone. As a member of the San Francisco Bike Coalition and San Francisco Transit Riders, I believe San Francisco should once again have one of the best transportation systems in the world.

I am a member of the San Francisco chapter of Women Get It Done, Eastern Neighborhood Democratic Club, and Nob Hill Neighbors Association. I previously served as a county captain to elect California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and worked in the press office of the California Attorney General Kamala Harris. I hope the entire Rise Together AD 17 slate and I can count on your vote.

Hello my name is Tony Rodriguez. I am a first generation San Franciscan. My father came to San Francisco when he was 18 from Puerto Rico, and my mother came here at the same age from Mexico. They met, married and raised four children in the Excelsior District. Both of my parents were very hard working individuals who worked union jobs that provided them with decent wages, health benefits and a pension which allowed them to buy a house, raise their family, and retire comfortably in San Francisco.

My parents inspired me to join a union and I became a fire sprinkler fitter with Local 483 which allowed me to raise my family. I spent 37 years in total in this profession, 25 years of which were spent installing fire sprinkler systems. While working for Local 483, I was elected to the following positions: recording secretary, member of the executive board, as well as President of our union.

Over the course of the last 12 years I was elected for three terms as Business Agent for this union. In this role, I represented Local 483 with the San Francisco Building Trades Council and San Francisco Labor Council.I was also a trustee for the SF building trades and proud to have participated in negotiations resulting in better working conditions for workers.

As a parishioner, I served on the parish council and was the President of our local Saint Vincent DePaul conference which provides support to those in need in our community. Currently, I am a Fire Commissioner of San Francisco, appointed by Mayor London Breed.

I believe that I have benefited from those who have worked to improve working conditions for others, and believe I should do my part and continue to work for and be an advocate for others, too. I recently retired from my position as Business Agent, however I am still active with the Building Trades, the San Francisco Labor Council, and the San Francisco Fire Commission.

I feel everyone should be afforded the same chance to have a good paying job, medical benefits and retirement. If elected to the role of Assembly Delegate, I will continue to work at being a voice for the working people. I am asking for your vote for me and for the entire Rise Together slate.

Ten years ago, I started working for the San Francisco Arts Commission, which provided me with my first introduction to the District 10 community. I worked on many arts projects in the various District 10 neighborhoods including working with the Shipyard Trust for the Arts, helped to select public art for the Public Utilities Commission at 1550 Evans Street project as well as the projects along India Basin. My overall goal was to develop and produce arts initiatives in District 10 to activate the neighborhood, increase foot traffic to strengthen economic vitality.

After leaving the Commission, I founded Imprint City, a non-profit organization that furthered my ability to activate neighborhoods with arts projects and encourage increased foot traffic to local businesses. This included art installations, pop up galleries in vacant storefronts along Third Street as well as music festivals. If you drive to Egbert, you can still experience the large scale murals I commissioned there. I call that block the Sprayview (right across from Laughing Monk Brewing).

Since 2015, Imprint City attracted over 15,000 event goers, 200 participating neighborhood retail and food merchants, 100 youth employees, 75 community based organization partnerships and 150 performing and visual artists to the District 10 neighborhoods. I also co-authored legislation with support from former District 10 Supervisor, Malia Cohen designating the Bayview Hunters Point as San Francisco’s African American Arts and Cultural District.

My additional volunteer work to support the improvement of San Francisco life includes working with the Human Rights Commission to strengthen Mayor London Breed’s Opportunities for All summer youth program, which employed a significant number of Bayview youth. I also served on the Mayor’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force, a current board member of Emerge California and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). I look forward to serving once again as a Democratic party delegate, and I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

My name is Mike Chen. I am a child of Chinese and Korean immigrants, a gay man and a renter. I serve on the boards of the Edwin M. Lee Asian Pacific Democratic Club, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, and GAPA (LGBTQ Asian/Pacific Islander group). I sit on the Municipal Transportation Agency Citizens Advisory Committee (MTA CAC). I am a volunteer organizer with YIMBY Action, a housing advocacy group, and Northern Neighbors, a District 2 neighborhood group for lively, livable streets.

I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, looking different. My hometown was only three percent Asian, and I didn’t know that there was a LGBTQ community. When I moved to San Francisco, I was amazed to see so many people and elected leaders who looked like me. San Francisco is the best place in the world to be Queer, Asian, and Queer & Asian. I am so lucky to be here. And I think about many people like me, who would love San Francisco and contribute to this city, but are priced out.

Those of us in San Francisco and California who prize openness and inclusion need to make sure that everyone who wants to live here can afford to live here. That includes fighting for affordable housing, public transit, and equal job opportunities for all.

I work in the community to make San Francisco more affordable, livable and inclusive. I lobbied neighbors to successfully support a plan for 744 new homes at 3333 California, of which 186 homes will be affordable to low-income households. I rallied San Franciscans to fund public transit with Measure RR 2020, and I have lobbied hard for bikeshare and slow streets. And I volunteered with local ballot measure Prop H to save our small businesses during the pandemic.

I am running for Assembly District Delegate to fight for affordable and abundant housing, reliable transit, livable cities, and equitable economic opportunity. I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

https://youtu.be/RVzaZHUjagk

My name is Marcos Aranda and I was born and raised in San Francisco. My parents came to San Francisco from El Salvador in the late 1980s, escaping a civil war. My mother worked a factory job, while my father joined the Conservation Corps where he learned English and acquired his high school diploma.

My parents were both hard working. My mother’s factory job did not pay much and was paid by a measure of productivity instead of hourly. My father landed a good paying job with good wages and health benefits but always strived for more. My father always held two jobs to provide for our family and my grandmother and grandfather back in El Salvador.

I applied for a job in the janitorial industry to provide for my family. Growing up, I always heard teachers say “do you want to end up as a janitor?” so I never expected to want to join this industry, but upon being hired, I learned that this was a union job with good benefits and that many janitors that had been in the industry were able to pursue the dream of home ownership.

In less than three months I was being asked to cover for our Lead when they were out on vacation. I was then offered a supervisor position which I decided to turn down as it meant leaving the union and losing the job security.

Then I witnessed my first contract negotiations. It was then when I became more interested in what the union did for us and how they fought for us. I was introduced to Olga Miranda, our union President, four years later and recommended by my father-in-law to serve as part of the bargaining team for the union. I was proud to run alongside Olga for an executive board member position which I won.

Our union, Local 87, is highly active in local and statewide politics. I worked on campaigns and learned how policy affected our work conditions. This year, I became the voice to janitors across the nation as I was asked to testify before Congress on the importance of having adequate and sufficient PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this moment, I became a voice for all essential workers. We are on the frontlines, putting our lives on the line, to move our country forward. Essential workers need someone like myself and everyone on the Rise Together slate to represent the working class and diverse communities in San Francisco.

My name is Sharky Laguana. I am a small business owner, SFUSD parent, and President of the San Francisco Small Business Commission.

I had a tough childhood, but fortunately wound up with amazing foster parents: a gay couple in Ohio. 30+ years later they are still together and we are still close. I left home at 17, traveling the country working odd jobs. By the time I arrived in SF a few years later, I was broke and homeless. I slept under park benches, playing guitar on street corners for food. Eventually I got a job as a night clerk at an SRO hotel on Market street, continuing to pursue music as a profession. I started a band, becoming a major label artist in the 90s. When the band broke up, I started a van rental company for touring musicians. I didn’t know anything about running a business, but somehow grew the company to a nationwide presence. I met and married the love of my life, Naomi. We have two boys, Billy and Tommy.

I was appointed to the Small Business Commission by Mayor Breed in March of 2019, and was elected president the following January. The commission’s policy output in response to the crisis has been unprecedented. I campaigned for Prop H (“Save Our Small Business”) which voters overwhelmingly passed, served on the Economic Recovery Task Force, and with SFMTA Chair Gwyneth Borden, co-created a summit addressing the rent crisis for small businesses.

The pandemic has devastated my business too. It has forced me to close stores, sell assets, and most painfully, lay off staff I care deeply about. In 2019 nearly half of all workers in San Francisco were employed by a small business. Now many of those businesses are permanently closed. Unemployment due to COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, while leaving owners like myself buried in overwhelming debt.

I am running for Assembly District Delegate because I want a future that is better than what we had in the past. I want science, evidence, and compassion, to guide our decisions. I want opportunity for all, so that anyone who wants to start a business can do so. I want support for small business workers and employers, fast action on environmental issues, a justice system we can all get behind, and real solutions for those who are trapped in poverty. I hope you will vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

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My name is Alex Barrett-Shorter. Growing up in a Black and Latinx household, I saw the value and beauty of diversity and its direct conflict with persistent institutionalized racism in our state. I have dedicated my education and career to promoting equity and representing underserved communities.

I have worked on many progressive local campaigns and advocated for statewide juvenile justice reform policies. I also spent several years working in the nonprofit sector providing direct services to people with disabilities and securing permanent subsidized housing for homeless individuals.

I currently serve as a Field Representative for Assemblymember David Chiu, providing constituent services in Assembly District 17. During this time of crisis, I bring a critical understanding of the most pressing public service needs in California. I also focus on the policy areas of criminal justice reform, labor, transit, homeless services, and affordable housing in the community. Most recently in my role, I have championed initiatives to hold state agencies accountable in order to better serve unemployed, vulnerable, and housing insecure Californians during this difficult time.

I also proudly serve as the current Co-President of the San Francisco Young Democrats (SFYD). Over the past two years, I have enhanced SFYD’s infrastructure and ability to mentor young leaders. I exponentially expanded the club’s youth participation, ability to mobilize, and community involvement. Young democrats have been at the forefront of our nation’s most important social movements and led many of San Francisco’s largest protests in response to the murders of George Floyd and countless others. I hope to continue representing the values and issues of young Democrats within the California Democratic Party.

I am running to be an Assembly District Delegate because I am committed to empowering the voices of young Democrats and ensuring that our party reflects our commitment to criminal justice reform, affordable housing, universal healthcare, reversing climate change, affordable higher education, immigration reform, diversity, and equity. I hope I can count on your vote for me and the entire Rise Together Assembly District 17 slate.

My name is Robert Sandoval and I am a business representative for Teamsters Local 350, which represents all the solid waste and recycling workers from San Francisco County to San Benito County. I am a member of the South Bay Labor Council, a member of the San Francisco Labor Council, an Executive Board member for the San Mateo County Labor Council and was recently elected as the Vice-President of Community Affairs for the San Francisco LatinX Democratic Club.

As a labor union representative and third-generation Teamster, it is my job to give voice to every day, dedicated hardworking men and women of San Francisco. To give dignity and respect to those underappreciated and overlooked, to stand on the side of social justice and human rights.

It is that voice that I would like to bring as an ADEM delegate to the State Party and take part in the critical decisions and help promote a progressive platform and agenda.

We need people who are not afraid to fight the good fight and be unabashed in their stances when it is at times, unpopular.

I humbly ask for your support in my candidacy to be a delegate for AD- 17 to continue to give voice to all peoples in this great district that is often overlooked.

My commitment to you all is to bring strong, powerful progressive values to the Democratic Party.

I am honored to have the endorsement of the San Mateo Labor Council, San Francisco Labor Council, and SF BOS Matt Haney & Hillary Ronen. I respectfully ask for your support to serve as your delegate.

With great enthusiasm and hope, I am running to be an AD 17 delegate with Progressive Power candidates. At a time of enormous challenge, we need a path that brings us to a true democracy in which every person has a voice—where wealth and privilege don’t determine what we do.

I am currently serving as the president of United Educators of San Francisco, a union of teachers, paraeducators, counselors, security aides, social workers, librarians, nurses, psychologists, and speech therapists who work in the San Francisco public schools, pre-kindergarten through high school, as well as educators at several charter schools. Previously, I was a preschool and kindergarten teacher, and held other positions with UESF. Public education is a foundation of our democracy; it is our duty to protect, improve, and fund it.

I also serve as the San Francisco Labor Council’s Vice President for Political Activities, having been a Labor Council delegate for many years. Organized labor has a critical role in shaping the present and future of our city, state, and nation, as it is through democratic representation on the job that we can lift up the voices of workers and fight for and protect good wages, benefits, and working conditions for all.

A statewide role I hold is as a Vice President of California Federation of Teachers, a union of classified and certificated workers in jobs from pre-kindergarten through college. Across the state, we advocate for high-quality public education for all ages, and for collective bargaining rights in the workplace.

The through line in each of the roles I am honored to hold is the crucial connection to elections. Working together in our unions and communities to elect candidates who will steadfastly and righteously serve the needs of all of us, and to pass initiatives that create just and fair policies for all and not just a few makes us a powerful force. To achieve the progressive goals of social and racial justice for all people in everything from environmental to education justice; from taxing the wealthy and corporations so they pay their fair share, to affordable housing for all; and from lifting up the beauty and dignity of all our lives, in all our human identities, to assuring that our children have a world that keeps them safe, we must elect candidates who will build and maintain a powerful, progressive Democratic Party.

 Video link: https://youtu.be/sVLUKRZ2il

In the past 20 years living in the Mission District I’ve always given a shit about the people around me. My grandfather came to California from Mexico with nothing and was able to succeed because he cared for his neighbors. He showed me that contributing to your community lifts everyone within it, even if you don’t speak the language. I have been a leader in the San Francisco music scene, creating a series of community events featuring local artists that connected the neighborhood to it’s vibrant culture. My relationships with neighbors and local business owners drive me to activism supporting the betterment of my neighborhood, my city and my people.

I especially care about those around me who are disadvantaged. It is my belief that demanding equity for those people raises the quality of life for all of us. I’ve been involved in local politics, working on campaigns for Supervisor Dean Preston, SF Tenant Right to Counsel, and a local law that taxes the rich to support our poorest unhoused neighbors.

I would like to help the party refocus on the working class. This means bold action, like making universal health care a reality and housing equity for all. We need mental health services in our community now. I care deeply about my neighbors who are suffering, especially those who are unhoused and I will drive the party to fight for them.

I have been a California Democrat since moving to the state in 2000 and a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for 20 years. I am currently a Representative for Teamsters Local 856 and represent nonprofit and public sector workers in the Bay Area. I have recently focused my efforts on organizing LGBTQIA+ nonprofits in the Bay Area and helped my international Union create the Teamsters LGBTQ Caucus and also chair the San Francisco Labor Council LGBTQIA Committee.

I’m dedicated to supporting progressive social and economic policies that improve the livelihoods of our working class communities in San Francisco. I am running on the Progressive Power Slate with a diverse team of educators, community advocates and union organizers who also believe in a bold and progressive direction for the California Democratic Party.

Hi, my name is Karol Ruiz and I hope to earn your vote as your 17th Assembly District Delegate!

I am a Latinx, San-Francisco-born, Bay Area native and community advocate who is passionate about giving back, supporting youth leadership and empowering marginalized individuals and groups. I have spent much of my time working with grassroots and non-profit organizations like Children’s Council of San Francisco, Tenants Together, East Bay Community Law Center and Centro Legal de la Raza. Currently I serve as a Legislative Fellow for Supervisor Matt Haney and as a Co-President of the Latinx Young Democrats, a club that provides a safe, inclusive space for Latinx youth to advocate, build, and organize around issues that drive systemic change through policy and political means. I am dedicated to supporting progressive social and economic policies that improve the livelihoods of working-class communities in San Francisco, and I’m especially excited about what we can accomplish in AD-17.

As a first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from Ecuador, a UC Berkeley alumna and the first woman in my family to pursue a Master’s degree, I am running to be an AD-17 delegate in order to challenge the status quo, elevate the voices of forgotten community members and push for progressive policies within the Democratic Party. If elected, I will ensure that I listen to you, the people whose lives are affected by these policies on an everyday basis (my email is elect.karolruiz@gmail.com, reach out any time). Through my candidacy, I will work tirelessly to ensure that equitable policies are implemented and that the CA Democratic Party is moving in a direction that supports policies such as housing as a human right, criminal justice system reform, equitable healthcare, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant rights, quality education for all and whatever issues you all encourage me to fight for as a community. In San Francisco our diversity is our greatest strength, and now it is time to bring diverse but united voices to the California Democratic Party, because representation and equity matter.

It would be my honor to receive your vote and I look forward to applying my skills to serve the 17th Assembly District if given the opportunity. Thank you for your consideration.

As a longer standing SF resident I have witnessed first hand the many changes to our city and the challenges we have faced during a period of growth. I have worked directly with the severely mentally ill for 10 years and hope to bring my expertise in this area to a broader audience. I believe we need realistic community solutions to support our city in addition to integrating ideas from the front lines. I hope to bridge all aspects of our city from the disenfranchised, the jaded, the wealthy and bright eyed. I like to take the every small challenge and think about big picture ideas that can make everyone feel validated if not happy. We all want a nice, ,clean, well run city and I think we can make it happen!

I am the Renter’s Rights candidate for the Democratic State Central Committee in Assembly District 17.

For 40 years I’ve been an organizer for Democratic, progressive, social, environmental justice, Women’s, LGBT, and community-based politics. I chair the Harvey Milk Education Committee; served on the Board of National Organization for Women; led Progressive Democrats of San Francisco; & work with a wonderful group of activists throughout the City, including the Living Wage Coalition, the Cesar Chavez Celebration Committee, and Community Choice Energy.

I was an Elected Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in Charlotte 2012 and Philadelphia 2016 and would like to continue representing our City & District.

I founded and chaired the Computer and Internet Caucus of the State Party where I helped Democratic clubs, organizations, and individuals get their first presence on the Internet.

I am a founder of the Progressive Caucus of the State Party whose mission is to bring back to our Party our passion, commitment, zeal for justice, equality, and fairness.

I am currently the founder and organizing Chair of the CA Democratic Party Renter’s Caucus. We must repeal Costa-Hawkins to allow Rent Control throughout our state. And End Ellis Act evictions!

As you know there are 16 Million Renters in California, and my commitment is to help them keep their apartments, avoid eviction, and ensure that they are not displaced and gentrified out of their homes.

Thank you so much for helping me organize Renters and Tenants at the California Democratic Party.

Check us out at https://www.facebook.com/CDPRentersCaucus/

I look forward to working with you for many years to come on issues critical to San Francisco, to California, & to our Party!

For more information please see http://www.rickhauptman.com

As a young Filipina woman in 2020, my communities face a great deal of uncertainty. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, it’s more important now than ever that we have young, energetic delegates helping to steer the California Democratic Party towards progress with meaningful reforms. As a delegate, I would be proud to endorse candidates who uphold progressive values and support important legislation including Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, eliminating student debt, and ending cash bail and the prison industrial complex.

I’m a Bay Area native and have dedicated both my educational and professional experiences to examining root causes of inequality. I earned my Master’s Degree in Urban and Public Affairs at the University of San Francisco. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside marginalized communities, progressive campaigns, unions, and non-profit organizations to fight for racial, economic, and environmental justice. I know through my lived experience as a queer, mixed-race woman of color, the dire consequences of an unjust and prejudicial society, I’m committed to fighting back, and I have the grit to see that fight through to the end.

I’m proud to have the endorsements of the Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, David Campos, San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney, and San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Vilaska Nguyen.

I feel a deep responsibility for the well-being of my Community. Equity is a human right.San Francisco is the forerunner on so many levels in our nation . I would like the opportunity to advocate for my neighbors in AD17. Communities are fellowships as a result of interest, goals, and characteristics in common. We are stronger together help me to use my voice for all of us.

Hello, my name is Tessa Antonia Delsener, and I am running for Democratic Party Delegate for Assembly District 17.

One of my duties as a middle school science teacher is to present and challenge my students with the ethical consequences brought by scientific and technological discoveries shaping their world, to bring an appreciation for the living complexities beyond the seemingly simple purchase of a consumer good or harvesting of a natural and public good. It is a role that is ever encompassing and of growing importance.

Lately, I felt I could no longer stand in that role responsibly without making a larger commitment. I could not act as guide and educator without putting into practice my beliefs for an ethical society, especially not after the events of 2020 has brought so much to the surface and cannot be left to sink unseen again.

My first response was to rally around causes closest to me and my students, around transgender issues for myself and educational equity issues for my students. But participation exposed a desire to engage with the larger picture. No issue exists alone; every issue connects in some meaningful way.

So, I ask for your vote. I want to stand, in a small way, for my students, for my family, and for my community to challenge the ethics currently guiding our policies.

Biographical Information:

•19 years as a public-school science educator in California

•Union member and elected Treasurer for San Mateo Elementary Teachers’ Association

•Parent of three school-age children

•Child of a career educator and small business owner

•Proud transwoman

I’m a Latina native of California raised in the Mission and Lakeview District of San Francisco. I come from an undocumented immigrant family who faced a lot of struggles and difficulties. As a young single mother coming out of foster care, I worked at various organizations including Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Huckleberry Youth Programs. I was able to attain three degrees including a Bachelor’s Degree in Raza Studies, a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. As a social change agent, I’ve continuously advocated for undocumented immigrant rights, women’s rights, and youth rights. I’ve been a volunteer Counselor for 16 years for a non-profit organization, Circulo de Vida, working with children and youth whose parents have been affected by cancer. I’ve also volunteered at the Mission Food Hub during this pandemic delivering food to families in need. I’m currently the Board Secretary for Carnaval/CANA; I’m the Co-President for the Latinx Democratic Club; and I’m a Local 21 Union Member.

I am a Doctor of Clinical Psychology with a focus on social environmental trauma. I would like to contribute to the empowerment of marginalized communities and promote the quest for social, racial and economic parity for all. I have supported San Francisco socially challenged communities through workforce development with the San Francisco Department of Human Services and served as an advocate for economic empowerment while serving on Haight Ashbury Free Clinic board, NAACP, CATs, President of the San Francisco Black Leadership Forum, Make-A-Circus, Economic and Housing chair for the Redevelopment Agency Project Area Committee, Director of Southeast Career Center and Legacy member.