As one of the largest cities in California, Oakland faces many challenges, but it also has many strengths yet to be tapped in a cohesive and focused way.  My top goal as Mayor is to harness the creativity, skills and passion that draw people to live, work and raise their families in Oakland, and empower communities to partner with our City to face challenges head on.

I know it can be done because that’s what I’ve been doing full-time for the last 20 years as a School Board and Council Member.

Just ask residents in the Dimond, who worked with me in my first years on the Council to turn one of Oakland’s worst crime spots into a thriving district of local businesses and a great sense of community..

Ask the neighbors of Maxwell Park, who’ve worked with me over the past seven years to close liquor stores, rid parks of drug dealing and start implementing community-driven visions of vibrant and safe neighborhood parks.

Ask people in Butters Canyon, who partnered with our office to preserve one of Oakland’s last pristine open spaces by forming one of the city’s first land trusts.

Or talk with parents at Glenview or Sequoia, who I encouraged to form a parent network that’s re-energized those schools and later Bret Harte.

My on-the-ground record delivering tangible improvements for Oakland’s neighborhoods is what makes my candidacy different than anybody else’s.

My approach to our toughest chronic problems – including safety, our economy, and education – is an organizing approach.  When we arm people with information and help connect them, they generate the kind of sustainable grassroots change that no one elected official can create on her own.  They develop an infrastructure that, in partnership with resources in the City, strengthens the fabric and maximizes the power of communities.

To this end, I’ll:

1. Deliver information directly to residents weekly, so they’re informed about what’s going on in City Hall and have the resources they need to make change on their block.
2. Support neighborhood groups, business districts and community networks and work closely with them and other representatives to move all areas of Oakland forward.
3. Work with Councilmembers and departments, along with County, State and Federal officials to implement strategic plans that convene resources to build strong neighborhoods within a thriving city.

In my two decades as a public representative, I’ve always prioritized the residents of Oakland above all else. My loyalties are undivided, and I am “unbought and unbossed,” as the late Shirley Chisholm used to say.  My run for Mayor is not just about me, it’s about building a grassroots movement to take back Oakland block by block—for a safer, greener, economically vibrant Oakland that offers hope and real opportunities to all its residents.

Please join me in this movement and get connected to the network of neighbors across the city working with us to take back Oakland.

For more information about Jean Quan and her mayoral campaign, contact: www.jeanquanforoakland.org