As Bay Area mayors, we know our region’s challenges firsthand. Every day, we work to make our communities more affordable, end the homelessness we see on our streets and improve the quality of life for every family. There is only one candidate for State Assembly who we trust to work with us to improve our communities — and that candidate is Buffy Wicks.
We trust Buffy because she knows we need to build more low- and middle-income housing more quickly, especially near public transit. Buffy understands that solving homelessness will take a regional approach, along with real investments in mental health and substance abuse services. She knows that we need to prioritize all of California’s kids by boosting funding for public education, instituting universal free pre-K for our 3 and 4-year-olds and making community college free for everyone.
But it’s not just her bold and detailed policy agenda that we like – Buffy Wicks has the experience, skills and relationships to deliver real results for our communities. She has worked on policy change at the highest level – helping to lead the fight for health care reform in President Obama’s White House. She knows that it’s not enough to talk about bold change. Buffy’s willing to roll up her sleeves and work with diverse stakeholders, many who don’t always agree with each other, to find common ground and deliver the very best result for our communities.
While many people have highlighted Buffy’s impressive national and state endorsements, like President Barack Obama, Senator Kamala Harris, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and former Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean, less attention has been paid to the strong support she has on the ground here in our district. We represent nearly all of the mayors of AD15 (8 of 10) and Buffy has earned our respect, our trust and our strong endorsement.
We do not take this endorsement lightly. We have watched Buffy campaign over the last 17 months and have witnessed her deep commitment to our district firsthand. She formed her policy agenda by listening to residents, one living room at a time. Over the last year, Buffy has held over 220 house parties across our district – dozens in each of our cities. It is this tireless work ethic, thoughtful approach and commitment to improving our communities that has led us to come together, along with many other local leaders like former Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and State Senator Loni Hancock, to support Buffy Wicks for State Assembly.
We encourage all AD-15 residents to get out and vote for Buffy Wicks for State Assembly, by mail or on Tuesday, November 6th.