Carol Dutra-Vernaci is in her second term as Union City Mayor. She made history on December 11, 2012 when she was sworn in as the first woman mayor of Union City. Being elected mayor capped more than two decades of volunteering and public service.

She is a third generation Union City resident; growing up in Decoto and now living in Alvarado.  She is a graduate of James Logan High School, Class of 1972, and alumna of California State University Hayward with a degree in Psychology and Taxation education.

Mayor Carol continues to serve as a member and Past-President of several local nonprofits in the fields of education, health care, youth activities, animal welfare, and the Lions Club of Union City, as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Carol’s city service started in 1988 and includes: member of the original Redevelopment Advisory Committee representing businesses, Planning Commissioner, then in 1997 was elected to the city council where she served for thirteen years.

Carol brings more than thirty years of business experience to the role of mayor. As an Enrolled Agent, she has owned and operated her income tax business in Union City since 1986.

As councilmember, she served on the county Housing Authority and the League of California Cities Policy Committees and is a Past-President of the Leagues East Bay Division. Carol went through C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Training) and advocated for residents to prepare for earthquakes. She was the city C.E.R.T. Coordinator for two years before being elected mayor.  As mayor, Carol heads the city Disaster Council.

As councilmember, Carol was a member of the Union City team that won the “All-America City” title by the National Civic League.  As Mayor, she had the slogan used for the competition;  “Many Hands, One Heart” put up in the City Hall lobby.

As mayor, she has and continues to represent Union City and the region on local, county, state, and national organizations in the areas of Economic Development, Communications, Energy, Housing and Transportation. Carol is known region wide as a major advocate for improvements in the Dumbarton Corridor and specifically for Dumbarton Rail.  She has developed strong relationships on all levels.  As a “connector” she has always maintained a focus on strengthening the local community and using her relationships on all levels for the betterment of Union City.

As a participant in the Mayors Institute on City Design, she engaged with leading design and development experts to work on critical planning and design challenges facing Union City.  Carol is one of 40 Mayors selected from around the country participating in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s U.S. Cities Recovery Leadership Program. She and the other Mayors are exploring approaches and actions to emerging challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis including crisis budgeting and fiscal recovery and working towards a recovery that is socially, racially, and economically equitable.

x

Member of the Democratic Party   Proud to be endorsed by the Alameda County Democratic Party

I am a lifetime resident of Union City raising my 15 year old daughter as a single parent.

I attended schools in the New Haven Unified School District my whole life and graduated from James Logan High School in 1989. I was a member of the first Forensics Team at Logan, coached by Mr. Tommie Lindsey.

I graduated from Chabot College and CSU East Bay with a BA in Political Science and an MBA.

I was on the Union City Human Relations Commission from 2012-2018. I served as Chair from 2013-2016. While on the Human Relations Commission, I am proud to have co-authored the City's Compassionate City Resolution. I also served on the Itliong/Vera Cruz Renaming Committee, the Union City Police Department Strategic Plan Steering Committee and the General Plan Advisory Committee.

I have been a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for Union City since 2014. Most recently serving at the SCU Lightning Complex Fire Base Camp at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

I was also on the Board of Directors for Centro de Servicios from 2016-2018. They are the oldest community service organization in Southern Alameda County. I still frequently volunteer there.

I have been on the Board of Directors for the Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center since 2014, currently serving as its Treasurer. They have a $35 Million budget and 260 employees.

I currently am employed as a Finance Manager for a national healthcare corporation, handling multi-million dollar contracts everyday.

I have been a Councilman for the City of Union City since 2018. I represent the City on the League of California Cities and on the Board of Directors of East Bay Community Energy.

During the Shelter in Place, I teamed up with other community members to give out lunches and produce to needy families in Union City. What started out as a food drive helping about forty families has grown to a food drive that now helps about 250 families.

I am also proud of the fact that my friend and I were able to put together a list of restaurants that were still open during the Shelter in Place. We created a spreadsheet of all the restaurants that we could find in Union City, along with their address and phone number. We also included whether they did take out and/or delivery and which delivery apps they used, if any. We distributed this list through our Social Media, website and email distribution list. It was so popular that many civic organizations asked for copies of the spreadsheet to share with their members.

I believe that in times of crisis, standing on the sidelines and making excuses is not an option. It is time for action. For the first time in our City’s history, our financial solvency is at stake. We can no longer avoid dealing with this problem. It is time for bold ideas and bold action. It is time to question the status quo and create real, meaningful change.

Thank you and I hope I have earned your vote.

For more information, please go to: www.patinoforunioncity.com