Jovanka Beckles & Nikki Bas on "A monumental primary election for northern Alameda county"

"A Monumental Primary Election for Northern Alameda County", with Jovanka Beckles for State Senate and Nikki Bas for County Supervisor (Green Sunday program)
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In northern Alameda County, no incumbents are running in 3 of the 5 most important local offices on the March 5 ballot, thereby creating an unprecedented electoral situation. Which means that we the voters will almost certainly now be setting the political direction for these key offices for many years to come. These 3 major "open seats" are US House, District 12 (incumbent Barbara Lee is running for a US Senate seat), State Senate, District 7 (incumbent Nancy Skinner is termed out), and County Supervisor, District 5 (incumbent Keith Carson has decided to retire).

For State Senate, we are supporting AC Transit Director and former Richmond City Council member Jovanka Beckles, and for County Supervisor, we have endorsed Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas. (For US House we encourage you to read our article about the race, on page 3, here: https://acgreens.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gpac-vg-03-24-web-rev.pdf ).

Given the importance of this election, tonight's Green Sunday presentation will feature both Nikki Bas (for County Supervisor) and Jovanka Beckles (for State Senate). (Note: although both Jovanka and Nikki are currently scheduled to discuss their campaigns with us, sometimes election campaigns can be unpredictable, so their respective Campaign Managers will fill in for them if a conflict arises, namely: Evelyn Torres for Nikki Bas and Otto Pippenger for Jovanka Beckles). After the presentations, as usual, there will be time for q&a, and also info on how to get involved and make a difference in the election.

Please also note: Our complete voter guide for the election has already been posted to our website, at: https://acgreens.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/gpac-vg-03-24-web-rev.pdf And if you have questions about your polling place, voter registration, or your ballot, please call the Registrar of Voters at 510-272-6933.

We strongly encourage you to attend this important Green Sunday event about an unprecedented northern Alameda county election!

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For more than a decade Jovanka Beckles has served the East Bay, fighting for working families, a clean environment, safety and equity. She did that while working full-time as a Mental Health Specialist and Wraparound facilitator for over 20 years.

As a Richmond City Council member, she helped usher in a suite of progressive reforms that transformed that city — collecting $100 million in new taxes from Chevron, instituting a $15 minimum wage, creating the first California rent control in thirty years. She's especially proud of the groundbreaking “Ban the Box” legislation, which allows formerly incarcerated people to seek work with dignity. Despite a multimillion-dollar campaign against her re-election, she won a second term and went on to work with her colleagues on the Council and the Richmond Progressive Alliance to bring about real progressive change. She is not afraid to stand up to powerful interests to protect the rights of those whose voices are not being heard.

Currently she sits on the AC Transit Board, Ward 1, where she has continued bringing in progressive values and equity for transit users. Now she's running for State Senate, to become the only first Black Latina, LGBTQ, immigrant to the California State Senate. and to bring true, progressive representation to all of District 7 (formerly District 9). Jovanka is and always has been corporate-donation free, and is fighting in this race for a Green New Deal, Universal Healthcare, and Money Out of Politics,

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Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas is a lifelong community organizer, nonprofit director, Filipina-American, and working Mom guided by her lived experiences as the daughter of immigrants whose struggles inspired her to lead coalitions fighting for a living wage, an end to food insecurity, and access to affordable healthcare and housing.

Nikki spent decades successfully organizing Chinatown garment workers, building the student anti-sweatshop movement, and advocating for fair pay and working conditions for the East Bay’s most vulnerable residents. Previously the Executive Director of the Partnership for Working Families and the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, she has been honored on multiple occasions for her transformative, visionary leadership. One example is receiving the Mario Savio Young Activist Award for her work organizing the student anti-sweatshop movement at UC Berkeley and across the country.

Currently serving as Oakland's City Council President, Nikki leads the fight for an East Bay where every family is healthy, safe, and housed. She led efforts to help secure $350,000,000 for up to 2,400 housing units for homeless and working families; established a $14,000,000 Fund to assist low-income housing insecure tenants to purchase homes; expanded violence prevention and anti-sex trafficking programs; and launched Fire Department mobile crisis teams to address mental health and 911 calls.

As our County Supervisor, Nikki’s priorities are the “three H’s”: Homelessness, Housing, Healthcare. She believes bold leadership to end homelessness, expand job creation, and provide comprehensive mental health/substance abuse programs, and transitional housing are necessary. Nikki will fight for housing that working families can afford and ensure every family has access to quality healthcare.

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