Single LGBT parent and urban planner • President, Berkeley Democratic Club • Alternate, 15th Assembly District, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee • former member Berkeley Budget Review Committee and Transportation Commission • advocates for affordable housing and public transit/cycling • supports environmental action to limit greenhouse gases and opposes fracking • supports bi-lingual education, funding early education, and multi-skilled workforce training.  

Endorsed by Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, former 15th AD Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, Berkeley City Councilmembers Susan Wengraf, Laurie Capitelli, Darryl Moore, and Linda Maio, Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Joaquin Rivera, EVOLVE, and Berkeley Democratic Club.

I am running with Karen Weinstein and Ces Rosales.  We are against racism, sexism and homophobia • we stand for reproductive justice and committed to equity in healthcare, education, wages and housing • working towards a Central Committee that can be more diverse and accessible to all democrats • increase grassroots organizing • support progressive

candidates for office and increase voter registration in all our districts.

I was elected to the Alameda County Central Democratic Committee (ACDCC) in June, 2008 and I have enthusiastically worked and supported the goals, objectives and activities of the Party.  I am running as an incumbent for re-election to the ACDCC so that I can continue to represent our constituents and continue to work on democratic issues of importance and significance to our community. I am a long time resident of Piedmont, a Health Care consultant, an active community volunteer and an advocate for women’s health.  As an executive board representative for Alameda County, I serve on 1) the State Finance Committee; 2) the State Legislative Committee; 3) the State Federal Legislative Committee; and 4) the California Democratic Party Executive Board (appointed my first year on the committee). I have made presentations to community organizations and churches regarding the importance of participating in the democratic process by voting and becoming involved with the Central Committee; I have volunteered to register new citizens at the naturalizing events in Oakland; and I continue to fight for the rights of the uninsured by working to implement the Affordable Care Act by enrolling uninsured members of our community into the “Obama Care” program.  I am proud to have received an award from the Obama Administration for working to implement the Affordable Care Act of 2010. 

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I am a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and I'm currently a student at Mills College obtaining my Masters in Public Policy. I have been involved in the community throughout my life and I currently serve as the Sr. Policy Analyst and Community Liaison for Oakland Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington. I am proud to have the opportunity to serve in a place that is dear to me.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my candidacy.

This is my first time running for political office. I have been a long-time active Democrat working for social change. Although I feel very fortunate to be a recipient of many of the freedoms people before me sacrificed for, I still see so much work to be done. We have more work to do around criminal justice reform, housing, the environment, education and access to mental health care. I will work hard to improve public policy in all of those areas.

As an Alternate Member for the Alameda County Central Committee I want to bring in more women, young folks and people of color into the democratic process and build the bench of future Democratic leaders.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my candidacy.

I am running to be an elected Member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (ACDCC), 15th AD and I seek your support to vote for me on Tuesday, June 7th, 2016 in the primary election.

I have long been an active member of the ACDCC as an Associate for the last six years – but this time, with your help, I would like to be an elected member. This will allow me to make full use of the responsibilities and privileges of an elected member — one of which is to be able to speak up and vote for significant resolutions and endorsements that we want our California Democratic Party (CDP) to adopt.

As an active member of the CDP – an appointed delegate by Senator Loni Hancock and as the Northern California Vice Chair of the CDP Women’s Caucus – I’ve advocated for you within the Democratic Party – to increase diverse representation, to stop human trafficking, to promote passage of the equal rights amendment, to protect the environment, to increase the minimum wage for a living wage, to end health inequity, to defend voting rights, to stop fracking, and to provide services for at risk gay youth to choose alternatives to suicide.

• Northern CA Vice Chair of the CDP Women’s Caucus
• Executive boardmember, East Bay Women’s Political Caucus
• Commissioner, Berkeley Health Commission and as past chair, steered the Commission to focus on health equity in Berkeley
• Associate, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee
• Appointed delegate of Senator Loni Hancock to the Democratic State Central Committee
• Organizer, National Night Out Event, neighborhood block in Berkeley
• Founder and co-chair, East Bay No on Prop 8 Campaign based in Berkeley
• former board member of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
• former boardmember, San Francisco Women’s Center/Building
• small business owner of a graphic design business for over 20 years

I am an immigrant from the Philippines who was compelled to leave my country because standing up against the Marcos dictatorship put the lives of my family in danger. That was a long time ago – and to this day, I am still very passionate and continue to stand up for social justice, against oppression and for equality.

• I am committed to social and environmental justice
• I am against racism, sexism and homophobia
• I stand for reproductive justice and committed to equity in healthcare, education, wages and housing
• I will continue to advocate for a Central Committee that can be more diverse and accessible to all democrats
• I will encourage, promote and support increased grassroots organizing
• I will support progressive candidates for office and increase voter registration in all our districts.

I have been involved in grassroots organizing at the local, state and federal level. I was volunteer lead coordinator for Tony Thurmond's successful Assembly campaign last year and campaign manager for the AD 15 ADEM election sweep this year. I was a leader of East Bay Democracy for America’s Organizing Team and a member of Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club’s Coordinating Committee.   I worked on the Red to Blue victory that sent Jerry McNerney to Congress in 2006 and DFA All Star Congressional efforts in S. California and Colorado. I’m convinced we can engage County Central Committee members through grassroots organizing around issues that matter to progressives.

Long-time progressive physician fighting for Single Payer Healthcare, and equitable access to healthcare for immigrant communities.

Community organizer working with neighborhood leaders of the Block by Block Organizing network to increase civic engagement.

Founded Asian American studies to connect UC Berkeley and public universities to community change projects.

I believe that grassroots organizing is necessary to create meaningful change in our neighborhoods, and want to empower residents to get involved in the political processes and decisions that affect their lives.

Kathy Neal has over 35 years of business management experience, more than 25 years of public sector involvement, 15 years in significant statewide and local government regulatory and policy-making positions.  Kathy is currently an elected member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee where she serves as the 15^th Assembly District vice chair and as a member of the Executive Committee. Kathy is additionally responsible for the Party’s candidate training programs and she created the successful and effective “So You Think You Want to Run” training.

She also has many years of experience volunteering in, raising money for, and running political campaigns for principled Democratic candidates, including Congresswoman (and previously State Legislator) Barbara Lee, US Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, California Legislators, city of Oakland Council members, Peralta Community Colleges Trustees, EBMUD Board members and others.

Kathy is currently CEO of Viridis Fuels, developing a biodiesel processing plant in West Oakland that will provide environmentally beneficial fuel for Port of Oakland trucks and bring new, green sector job opportunities to local, employment-challenged populations.

Kathy is also the founder and President of Kneal Resource System, delivering multi-faceted project management and public affairs services to a wide array of private and public sector clients. She previously owned both a radio station and a clothing manufacturing company. Further, Kathy served as a Legislative Analyst and Committee Consultant for Los Angeles City Council; the State Assembly's representative on both the California Integrated Waste Management Board and State Bar Board of Governors; and a gubernatorial appointee to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Additionally, she was an Oakland Port Commissioner and President Bill Clinton appointed Kathy Neal as a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business.

Ms. Neal had an article, “There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills of Trash”, published in Waste Age Magazine. She has been formally honored by the California Senate and Assembly, California League of Cities, Los Angeles City Council, and many other local and community organizations.

Kathy Neal holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the California State University at Los Angeles; a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of San Francisco; and two Business Management Certificates from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.

In her spare time Kathy enjoys gardening and art, and serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations.

Len Raphael, CPA, MS, Certified Fraud Specialist is long time Oakland resident and Brooklyn NY native. A former Berkeley resident of both the flats and the top of Panoramic Way. I earned accounting/tax degrees from Berkeley and GGU, and studied sociology at Columbia.

Actively engaged in civic activities at both the neighborhood and city wide level.

Frequent blogger and occasional speaker before the Oakland City Council on Oakland municipal finance, police accountability, and electronic survelliance issues.

Former Treasurer of Temple Beth Abraham, and ex youth soccer manager. Member of the Association of Government Accountants and the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club.

Philosophy

Listen to the people.  They are smarter than most elected officials.

I choose candidates to support for office by what they have done, and their detailed platforms of what they will try to do.

Ideals and goals are important. Ideologies are not.

For example, I look for politicians who will try in whatever office they hold, to reduce the accelerating  inequalities of income and wealth. Much of that can only be done on a national level, but even small policy changes in local government will help.

Some background

In 2012 when I ran unsuccessfully for Oakland City Council, District 1 (North Oakland). I started out with a platform calling for doubling the number of police. In my first month of campaigning I listened to hundreds of residents in North Oakland.  Most residents wanted more police. African-American residents of the flats also wanted more police but wanted officers they could trust. I heard many examples of bad, biased policing from a broad cross section of residents.  I changed my platform to "double the number of police, but don't hire a single additional officer until we brought the OPD under full effective civilian control and can afford them without cutting vital services to vulnerable residents."  

Similarly, I started out as a charter school booster, but after several years of watching how the Oakland school administration has supported charters at the expense of weakening traditional public schools, I now oppose the expansion of charter schools in Oakland.

Why I'm running for Democratic Central Committee

We need well informed Democratic committee members with the backbone to pick the best candidate for endorsement by the Democratic Central Committee.

Even in high information races, with tons of media coverage, such as President, we have all become more aware of the important behind the scene role played by local Democrat and Republican party organizations in the selection of candidates.

That role is even greater in local races because voters no longer get information from local newspapers. The internet has yet to cover local government and local political races in depth.  As a result, we often know very little about new candidates other than who endorses them. Often, those endorsements are the result of political alliances and calculations unknown to the voters.

In October 2014 when I ran unsuccessfully for Oakland Auditor, I asked a TV journalist if her station could provide one minute's coverage of the City Auditor race. She explained that her producer only gave her 3 minutes of air-time to cover all the candidates in the Mayor's race, leaving 0 time for any other race.

In essentially a one party area like the East Bay, the Central Committee endorsement often = election victory in races. In non-partisan local races, a surprising number of Democrats assume that the County Democratic Central Committee endorsed candidate is the only Democrat in the race because candidates are not allowed to list their party affiliation on the ballot.

If you select me to represent you on the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, I promise to only vote to endorse candidates whom I believe are the best qualified for the position, regardless of their patrons or allies.

I respectfully ask for your vote for the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.  I have served as an elected member of the Central Committee since 2006, and would be honored to have the privilege to continue to serve you.   

Most of my life has been dedicated to public service.  I served as President Obama’s Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Pacific Region.  In this role, I focused on creating economic opportunity for young people, women, and underserved communities through providing access to the resources needed to start their own business and create jobs in our communities. 

Locally, I serve as a Commissioner on the Children, Youth, and Recreation Commission.  In addition, I recently was appointed to lead a statewide consumer advocacy organization to lower California consumer’s utility bills, improve safety, and protect our environment.

Early in my career, I was as an advisor to then Vice President Al Gore on Internet policy. Returning back to the Bay Area, I headed the non-profit OpNet Community Ventures where we helped create economic opportunity for low-income young women and people of color through web programming and web design training. 80% of our graduates got good jobs in the tech industry or created their own small businesses. I also helped develop after school programs to interest more girls and children of color in science and technology.

I later served as Director of the U.S. Green Building Council, Northern California Chapter where I worked with labor, environmentalists, industry and state leaders to pass legislation that would protect our environment and create green jobs.

My priorities for County Central Committee include:

·        Keep a Democrat in the White House, and elect progressive Democrats at all levels of government who reflect the values of our community.

·        Create a more fair and just society by championing equal rights, reducing income inequality, increasing educational opportunity, affordable housing and access to health care.

·        Combat climate change and stop coal exports through the Port of Oakland. 

Thanks for your consideration.  I would be honored to have your vote.