State Controller Candidate Information
Laura Wells
Party: Green
Ballot Designation: Financial Analyst
Endorsements: Work in process.
Campaign: My campaign team will be all volunteer. The SOS charges candidates almost $6,000 for filing fees and the ballot statement, if the statement is kept to 90 words rather than the full 250 words (it is $25 a word, used to be free). The Green Party and its candidates always refuse corporate and developer money, and yet we have almost raised the $6,000 from individual donations, and will certainly cover our other smaller expenses.
Democratic Party Involvement: I was a Democrat until the Green Party became ballot-qualified in California. I was drawn to the fact that it was no-corporate-money politics, from the party to the candidates, and I am committed to the 10 Key Values, which are common sense and acknowledged to be interconnected: peace, people and planet, and real democracy.
Albany take: One major way the State Controller can have an effect locally is to use its power of audit to determine and publicize how California's schools went from being the best in the nation to being among the worst in terms of per-pupil funding. Water is important in Albany and the whole of California, and there's no excuse for California to continue fracking and other wasteful water practices. For more detail on how my being State Controller would affect life in Albany, here are excerpts my 90-word ballot statement, "Tax the super-rich; stop billionaires from buying the media and politicians. Implement public banking to invest in California not Wall Street. Spend money on necessary, meaningful jobs that don’t destroy the planet, and less money imprisoning people in an unjust system. To save money and lives, there ARE solutions to problems of healthcare, economy, education, and environment, but politicians financed by billionaires and corporations won’t implement them."
Thank you for including my candidacy in your endorsement process. I hope to earn your endorsement. My favorite way to close is with "Another world is possible" and lately with "Good luck to all of us."
Yvonne Yiu
Party: Democratic
Ballot Designation: Chief Financial Officer
Endorsements: I am proud to have the support of former State Treasurer and former State Controller John Chiang, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, State Senators Susan Rubio, Richard Roth and Bob Archuleta, and scores of local leaders and elected officials.
Campaign: My general consultant is Lisa Gasperoni of LG Campaigns. Crystal Strait is my outreach consultant and Jenny Bach is a senior advisor to my campaign. My campaign has received $1.7 million, and I aim to raise $5 million to $6 million.
Democratic Party Involvement: As a Democrat, I have a great deal of respect for our grassroots organizers and activists. I welcome the partnership of our grassroots Democrats in working toward a victory that ensures all Californians are financially empowered and have a brighter future. I have supported Democratic candidates up and down the ballot and would like to work to get more Democrats elected to all levels of government, particularly Democrats representing historically marginalized and underserved communities.
Albany take: As the previous Mayor and current councilmember for the City of Monterey Park, I understand the immense pressure COVID-19, our housing and homelessness crisis, and other challenges have put on our local governments and communities. As Mayor and Councilmember of Monterey Park, I worked on our city’s pension obligation bond and saved the city $55 million. We used our federal relief dollars to do something unique to promote local businesses and help consumers at the same time. I spearheaded the development of an app that encourages people to shop locally in Monterey Park. Consumers get a 20% credit for each purchase they make. It’s an innovative idea to stimulate our local economy and demonstrates the kind of creative thinking I will bring as Controller.
Alameda County District Attorney Candidate Information
Pamela Price
Party: Democratic
Ballot Designation: Civil Rights Attorney
Endorsements: Full list - www.PamelaPrice4DA.com/endorsements
ORGANIZATIONS - ATU Local 192 - Coalition for Police Accountability, Oakland - Elect Black Women PAC - Fund Her - International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 10 - Our Revolution East Bay - Progressive Democrats of America–Oakland Chapter - Real Justice PAC
INDIVIDUALS - Danny Glover - Hon. Ge'Nell Gary - Angela Davis - Sen. Nina Turner.
Campaign: My campaign is a county-wide organization with organizers around the County. I have two campaign managers - Jeromey Shafer and Kelsey Pressnall, and a campaign navigator, Antwon Cloird. We have 2 campaign offices, one in Oakland and one in Fremont. We have raised $324,000 to date and expect to raise another $100,000 to win.
Democratic Party Involvement: I have been a Democrat all of my adult life. I am an elected member of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee serving my second term. In 2016, I was elected to the Central Committee to represent Assembly District 18, in a landslide. I won the highest number of votes in Alameda County over a field of 16 candidates in AD18. I was re-elected to the Central Committee in 2020, to represent AD18, again winning the highest number of votes (42,103) across Alameda County.
In 2020, I helped organize and lead a County-wide slate of progressive candidates for the Central Committee, and have supported the ADEM slates in my Assembly District. I have served on the Central Committee with commitment and diligence, been an outspoken advocate for my community while partnering with other elected members to advance our Democratic values.
I am a member of many different local democratic clubs in my District and I appreciate their organizing power and engagement with our community. As DA I will continue to be a public voice for not only criminal justice reform, but all aspects of what it means to be a Democrat in California. I am a member of the following Democratic clubs:
• Oakland East Bay Democratic Club, Secretary (2017 - present)
• Wellstone Renewal Democratic Club
• San Leandro Democratic Club
• City of Alameda Democratic Club
• Stonewall Democratic Club
• Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club
• John George Democratic Club
Albany take: I lived in Albany in 1981-83 but have not had much contact with Albany since I moved away from it. While I am very familiar with Albany, I have not had any impact on the City or its residents. I have attended community functions and meetings in Albany over the years, and I appreciate Albany's unique position on the edge of Alameda County as the gateway to Contra Costa County. When elected, I will strive to help Albany's residents and small businesses maintain its "small town feel" while strengthening its ties to the rest of County and ensuring that our resources are equitably distributed to include Albany. One of our signature programs for reforming the criminal justice system in Alameda County is neighborhood courts. Albany's size and community cohesiveness make it a special community to embrace this innovative approach to the administration of justice.
Seth Steward
Party: Democratic
Ballot Designation: Chief of Staff
Endorsements: I am honored to be endorsed by:
Malia Cohen
Bevan Dufty
Brendalynn Goodall
Dan Kalb
Mike Schmidt
Terry Taplin
Courtney Welch
Alex Bastian
Y'Anad Burrell
Torrance Bynum
Greg Flores
Peter Furst
David Hochshield
Asha Jameson
Marlon Monroe
Michael Orange
Dave Peters
Tim Silard
Tiffany Sutton
Christine Uribe
Zac Unger
INDIVIDUALS - Danny Glover - Hon. Ge'Nell Gary - Angela Davis - Sen. Nina Turner.
Campaign: My campaign is focused on reaching voters throughout Alameda County, including all 14 cities and six unincorporated areas. The District Attorney works for all citizens of the county.
I am pleased to work with Barry Barnes of Clean Sweep Campaigns as my consultant.
Eden Abdulkadir is my campaign manager.
In addition, I have a six member team of volunteers who helps provide support, feedback and outreach.
I have raised over $115,000 and expect to have to raise another $200,0000 to $300,000.
Democratic Party Involvement: I am a lifelong member of the Democratic Party and have consistently been an active member. In my younger days, I engaged in political organizing through the San Francisco Young Democrats, in which I served as President from 2000-2001.
As an Assistant District Attorney, I operated as Vice President (then San Francisco District Attorney) Kamala Harris’ Office spokesperson when she ran and succeeded as the first Black, first South Asian, and first female Attorney General of California.
I have worked on numerous campaigns for democrats, including, phone banking, canvassing neighborhoods and helping with general work, both for candidates and propositions.
Since January 2021, I have been an alternate member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.
Albany take: Albany is an incredible place with a rich history. I’m fascinated and encouraged by the founding women who made sure Berkeley no longer dumped its garage in Albany. One of the great things about Alameda County are the diversity of communities, cities and unincorporated areas. I have attended the Solano Stroll and look forward to it this year. While I have not directly been active in Albany politics, I have worked to make changes in Oakland with the view of bringing those changes County wide. Our region is safe when we have a working and functional criminal justice system that listens to the citizens in all cities. By following the science, focusing on violent crime, protecting immigrant communities, expanding victims’ rights, prosecuting officers who violate the law and addressing the root causes of crime I plan to make Albany and Alameda County safer and more just.
Jimmie Wilson
Party: Democratic
Ballot Designation: Deputy District Attorney, Alameda County
Endorsements: Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Representative for California's 20th District
Council Member Mark Salinas, Hayward
Council Member Sara Lamnin, Hayward
Former Council Member Al Mendall, Hayward
Council Member Jaime Patino, Union City
Council Member Rick Jones, Fremont
Vice Mayor Maria Collazo, Newark
Mayor Alan Nagy, Newark
Council Member Luis Freitas, Newark
Eileen McDonald, VP Alameda County Board of Education and Trustee, Area 6
Janavette Cole, Alameda County Board of Education Trustee, Area 5
The Honorable Judge Thomas Rogers
J. Nicholas Williams, Dir. of City of Oakland Parks and Recreation and Youth Development
Elgin Lowe, VP of the NAACP Hayward-South Alameda County and an Alameda County Senior Deputy District Attorney
Reverand Anthony Woods, Faith Director for the NAACP Hayward-South Alameda County
Sheryl Boykins, Former Chief of Police for Cal State East Bay and current NAACP Executive Board Member
Robert Ewing, Executive Board Member, NAACP Hayward-South Alameda County
Burny Mathews, Former Chief of Police for the Cities of Alameda and East Palo Alto
The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Alameda County (DSA)
The Berkeley Police Officers' Association
The Oakland Police Officers' Association
The Hayward Police Officers' Association
The San Leandro Police Officers' Association
The Newark Police Officers' Association
The Union City Police Officers' Association
Jay Hansen, CEO of CFEE and former Legislative and Political Dir. for the California Building and Construction Trades Council AFL-CIO
Timothy Simons, Chairman of the California Black Chamber of Commerce
Salim Mastan, Founder of the Islamic Center of Fremont
Rob Stoker and SMART Local 104
A majority of private criminal defense attorneys in Alameda County
Campaign: We are running a people-powered grassroots campaign. My campaign manager is Christine Berg, a former Alameda County Deputy District Attorney, and our campaign consultants are KMM Strategies (Maggie Muir, Kate Maeder, Dan Kully). Our community organizers are Renia Webb (Emerge Class of 2022), and Allison Bliss. We are aiming to raise and spend $400,000 for the June primary.
Democratic Party Involvement: I am a lifelong member of the Democratic Party and have consistently been an active member. In my younger days, I engaged in political organizing through the San Francisco Young Democrats, in which I served as President from 2000-2001.
As an Assistant District Attorney, I operated as Vice President (then San Francisco District Attorney) Kamala Harris’ Office spokesperson when she ran and succeeded as the first Black, first South Asian, and first female Attorney General of California.
I have worked on numerous campaigns for democrats, including, phone banking, canvassing neighborhoods and helping with general work, both for candidates and propositions.
Since January 2021, I have been an alternate member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.
Albany take: I grew up in Bayview-Hunter's Point, an underserved community in San Francisco's South Bay. As a child, I worked alongside my parents as they fought to improve access and opportunity for the children and families of the Bayview. My mother Ernestine earned her college degree at night while raising three children. She became a public school teacher and started our community’s first girls’ club. My father, Jimmie Wilson, Jr., built neighborhood apartments for single mothers, worked on the development of the Jackie Robinson Apartments, and helped individuals who were formerly incarcerated get jobs with San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency. I marched with my parents for better conditions at Folsom State Prison, and worked on the campaigns of the late Mayor George Moscone and former Mayor Willie Brown. My sister, Latressa Alford, is a senior political consultant for Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
I registered as a Democrat when I was 19 years old. I am a member of the Castro Valley, and Stonewall Democratic Clubs. I sit on the Executive Board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Hayward-South Alameda County, and am a member of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) Hayward-South Alameda County. I am the only candidate in the race for Alameda County District Attorney who is currently working with our community and law enforcement to advance systemic changes to policing that will build the climate of trust needed to keep our communities safe. Through my role on the NAACP, I created and lead a POST-certified Community Policing and Implicit Bias training that has been adopted by partner police jurisdictions across Alameda County including Hayward, BART, Alameda, San Leandro and Fremont.
Before becoming an attorney, I worked for 16 years as a Plumber and Pipefitter with UA Local 38 while raising my children and attending night school. I have supported working families on picket lines throughout my life, and continue to do so today.