Treva is an overcomer, a resilient single mother and community builder. She was raised in a family of educators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and laborers with a deep respect for hard work. Treva’s passion to serve stems from growing up in a large civically-engaged family where her great-grandmother’s political activism informed their values.
As a young single mother in college working multiple jobs, she leveraged strengths from her upbringing to provide for her daughter and graduate from Hampton University.
Treva has a tenacious determination to overcome seemingly impossible situations. Her personal experience with childhood trauma, gun violence, intimate partner abuse, poverty and housing instability motivates her passion to fight for justice. The issues we face in Oakland are not just policy concerns for Treva – they are personal.
As a senior aide to Assemblymember (now State Senator) Nancy Skinner, Treva advocated for affordable housing policies, gun violence prevention, job training programs, legislation for incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals, and other critical efforts for Oakland residents. She’s the only candidate for mayor with experience working on issues facing Oakland at the State level.
Since she was elected to the Oakland City Council in late 2020, Treva has held to her promise to tirelessly work to move East Oakland forward, championing the priorities of her community. She helped to activate the Oakland Coliseum in East Oakland as one of two national pilot COVID-19 mass vaccination sites and secured deeper investments for violence prevention programs, workforce development services, and critical health and safety resources in the City budget. Treva has also spearheaded many community beautification efforts with East Oakland neighbors.
Beyond passion, Treva has the leadership skills, policy expertise and financial background to regain and sustain the financial footing necessary to protect all Oakland residents, and prioritize those who have experienced poverty, disparities, and cycles of inequity.
A lifelong Democrat, Treva served as an Associate for California Assembly District 18 on the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, is an Emerge California Alumna, an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and state policy advisor for Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). She is also a ministry leader at Shiloh Church in Oakland and engaged in numerous community partnerships.
Oakland desperately needs a passionate, strong, and equity-driven leader. A leader who can break through barriers in City Hall to hear from, respond to and deliver for Oaklanders now. Treva's heart is for Oakland, and her life experiences have fueled her fight to ensure all residents can live safely and securely—rooted in Oakland—from one generation to the next.
As Oakland’s next mayor, Treva will work tirelessly to address homelessness, end gun violence, increase public safety all across Oakland, ensure housing stability, grow small businesses, advance racial equity, and create economic opportunity for all Oaklanders to recover and thrive.
