Editorial: B.A.R. recommendations in local races
There are numerous local races on the ballot in Bay Area counties outside of San Francisco where qualified LGBTQ candidates are seeking election or reelection in the June 7 primary. Alameda County Board of SupervisorsDistrict 3: Rebecca KaplanRebecca Kaplan has long served on the Oakland City Council, where she is the body's first lesbian elected official.
After the death of Supervisor Wilma Chan last November, this seat, which includes part of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro, will have a new representative as Dave Brown, Chan's former aide whom the board appointed to serve out her term ending in January, said he would not seek the position.Kaplan has a lot of good ideas for the county.
She has long been an advocate of the need for a regional approach to public transportation. She stated in her Bay Area Reporter endorsement questionnaire that she will expand on her experience and legislative record to provide better coordinated housing for the homeless, ensure healthy food in all communities, build stronger partnerships for public safety, and remove trash and blight.
Unhoused people in Alameda County is a big concern, as the recent point-in-time count found there are about 9,750 of them, the vast majority living on the streets.Kaplan also stated that "it's very important that our housing strategy includes affordable housing for working people and families," and that it needs to take multiple communities into account, including transition-age youth and LGBTQ+ and other seniors.
