Candidates for
Oakland District 5 City Council Seat will Debate Tonight in Fruitvale
The four candidates for Oakland’s District
5 City Council Seat will debate tonight in an open forum at the Fruitvale-
San Antonio Senior Center, located in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. The debate, produced by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee
starts at 6:30pm and is free to attend. Doors open at 6pm, and questions will be
solicited from the audience.
The boundaries
of District 5 encompass the diverse East Oakland area, including the Glenview
and Fruitvale neighborhoods and portions of the estuary waterfront, Dimond
District and Jingletown. The District is sometimes characterized on the council
as predominately Latino (as compared to other Oakland council districts)
however, when
examined more closely it appears to be quite diverse ethnically.
The role of
the Oakland City
Council is to be an elected governing body representing the City of
Oakland. There are seven council districts in Oakland, and one at-large member
for a total of eight seats. If needed, the Mayor serves as the tie breaking
vote. Since 1998, Oakland has had a strong
mayor form of government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and council
members serve staggered four-year terms. Oakland's Mayor is subject to a tenure
limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council members.
The job of council
member for District 5 has been most recently held by Ignacio De La Fuente, for
nearly 20 full years (5 consecutive terms). First elected to the Oakland City
Council in 1992, he served as the chair of the Council's Economic and Community
Development Committee until January 1999. De La Fuente then became the first
Council member to serve as Council President, and held the post of Vice Mayor
from 2009-2011. Mr. De La Fuente is stepping down at this end of this term (Dec
ember 2012) to concentrate on his
campaign for the At-Large Council seat for Oakland. Most recently, Councilmember De La Fuente has
chaired the influential Finance & Management Committee of
the council.
Many
political consultants consider this year unique for the Oakland City Council in
that it will have at least three new council members after the November
election, a turnover unseen for 16 years. The existing council is characterized
as having “fractious dynamics” and even some seated
council members themselves are excited for a chance to change the tone of the
conversation.
This
debate will likely cover (but won’t be limited to) several critical issues
concerning the Fruitvale part Oakland, including economic development, gang
injunctions, jobs, pensions and crime. What do you think are the biggest issues facing
District 5 in the next four years? Please attend and submit a question for the
candidates. Or let us know your comments by following the event on Twitter
tonight @oaklandchamber and using the tag #oakdebates.
Candidate Backgrounds
(Alphabetical by First Name)
Dawn McMahan is the founder and Executive Artistic Director
of the Pythia Arts Foundation, and the creator of the Phoenix Rising Homeless
Project, and the Oak Tree Arts Center in East Oakland. Ms. McMahan lives in District
5 and is a guest lecturer in the Merritt College business program. She holds
degrees from the Merritt College Community Social Services/Substance Abuse
Counseling Program, and the University of Southern California.
Mario Juarez has been a District 5 resident since he was a
youth. Mr. Juarez owns Mario Juarez Real
Estate and has been recognized by the Pinnacle Award for Sales from the Bay
East Association of Realtors in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He also currently serves
on the City of Oakland Workforce Investment Board. Mr. Juarez has been a member
of the Unity Council Board of Directors, City of Oakland Parks and Recreation
Commission, and Hispanic Chamber Commerce of Alameda County.
Noel Gallo grew up in the Fruitvale/San Antonio
District neighborhoods. Mr. Gallo was elected to the Oakland Board of Education
in 1992 and has lead 6 successful education funding campaigns, generating over
a $1 billion dollars for schools. Under his tenure, the Oakland Public
Schools has been voted the most improved
school district in the state of California for the past 7 years. He currently
works as Regional Director with Ray & Associates leading Superintendent
Searches for School Districts throughout the country. Mr. Gallo holds a graduate
Business Degree from University of California, Berkeley.
Shelly
Garza has been a City of Oakland employee for 11 years, and is a single mother
of 5. Ms. Garza is also the General Manager of a Micro Business Incubator center
in District 5.
--
Chamber Support
The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OMCC) public
policy committee does not endorse political candidates,
but there is a separate political action committee
OakPAC that does. For more
information on OakPAC, please contact Paul Junge, OakPAC Executive Director at pjunge@oaklandchamber.com
Full Debate Schedule
Tonight’s District 5 debate is the fourth of six debates in
this series. The full schedule is posted below; all debates are FREE and begin
at 6:30pm. All are welcome and encouraged
to attend.
Labels: city council, dawn mcmahan, district 5, fruitvale, ignacio de la fuente, mario juarez, noel gallo, oakland, oakland chamber of commerce, shelly garza
