My name is Tri Ngo, I'm running for Oakland City Council in District 1. I was born in a refugee camp, grew up in a working class family and eventually became an engineer who went to MIT.
Over the past few years, I’ve seen Oakland’s economic, racial diversity and sense of community rapidly disappearing, things I highly value as someone who grew up in inner city Philadelphia and Atlanta. I saw young people, the vitality of Oakland, leaving for more affordable areas. Most of my friends and my little brother left the bay to settle elsewhere. Finally my neighbor, a black artist couldn’t afford to pay his rent and left Oakland. Homelessness has increased 50% in the past 2 years, the majority of whom are people of color.
I didn’t trust that Oakland was going in the right direction and I didn’t believe that our government represented all of our residents. I decided to run for City Council because I want to use my problem solving skills and commitment to ensuring equal representation in government to solve these issues. I stand by that commitment with a $35/person donation limit and proposing an online platform where all residents can weigh in on Council votes.
These are persistent problems and I am running to bring Real Change to Oakland, to solve Homelessness, to create Housing and to create a public safety system that works for our communities.
To do this I will strengthen our democracy so that it represents all of our residents. I am limiting my campaign contributions to $35 per person to ensure equal representation. I will create an online voting system so that every single resident can hold their leaders accountable so that we can actually get things done.
Please join me in this fight to create an Oakland of Love and Belonging for all of our residents.
