A VISION FOR OUR SAN LEANDRO
San Leandro leaders should work for you,
never against you.
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WHAT IF ________
We drastically improved public safety the right way?
WHAT IF ________
We took a smarter, creative approach to the issues?
San Leandro can't thrive if we keep voting for politics as ususal.
We need leadership you can rely on, where you are at the center.
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HI! IM JAMES AGUILAR
I have lived in San Leandro for over thirteen years, and I am incredibly honored to have served our beautiful city on the School Board and now on the City Council.
Outside of my work on the City Council, I am a high school social science teacher and Activities Director. I have worked up and down the latter of education for all of my adult life, and have had the privilege of working beside local, state, and federal leaders to address the systemic issues of public education.
I love our city so much. San Leandro made me who I am, and is a unique place to work together, build together, and thrive together.
Your support on November 3rd would mean the world to me. Let's work together on
Seven years ago, I stepped on to the San Leandro School Board and now proudly represent you on the City Council. If you're interested in a detailed account of what I've been up to on the City Council, check out my monthly updates on Substack by clicking here.
What will I continue doing as your Councilmember?
Improve the Quality of Life in San Leandro
ON THE ISSUES
WORK TOGETHER ★ BUILD TOGETHER ★ THRIVE TOGETHER
OVERHAULING PUBLIC SAFETY What if we addressed the root causes of crime in San Leandro? Here's James' plan: 1. Increase staffing for emergency services in San Leandro to improve response times. 2. Increase staffing at City Hall to ensure city services and code enforcement are consistent. 3. Assess which non-violent responsibilities can be safely transitioned away from officers so they can focus on responding more quickly to violent crimes. 4. Create and maintain resident-led committees (such as Rent Review, and Transit Advisories) to make San Leandro more accountable to residents' needs. 5. Increase funding for mental health programs and community services to help residents.
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS What if it was easier and more affordable to live in San Leandro? Here's James' plan: 1. Pass a strong, effective rent stabilization. 2. Increase the power and purview of the Rent Review Board. 3. Implement a corporate vacancy tax to ensure empty units are being put onto the market and driving down housing costs across San Leandro. 4. Increase in-lieu fees for developers to accelerate the creation of affordable units. Invest in navigation centers, wrap-around services, and housing for our unhoused neighbors. 4. Partner with community land trusts and support tenant purchase opportunities to increase home ownership. 5. Prioritize housing for workers in San Leandro.
SUPPORTING LABOR PARNTERS What if we protected workers and small businesses in San Leandro? Here's James' plan: 1. Pass a strong, effective commercial rent stabilization policy to help small and local businesses survive in San Leandro. 2. Implement a commercial vacancy tax to help fill empty shops and storefronts as well as vacant property across San Leandro. 3. Support unionization efforts across the city, which provide workers with better benefits and improved working conditions. 4. Develop worker-cooperative friendly incentives to create more employee ownership opportunities. 5. Provide city contracts for businesses hiring locally.
BUILDING SAFER STREETS What if we made San Leandro a safer, more enjoyable place for people to travel in? Here's James' plan: 1. Streamline neighborhood traffic-calming petitions to make road and street-safety improvements more responsive to resident needs. 2. Work with local mobility/transit experts to support the installation of bike lanes and "complete streets" and improve pedestrian safety/accessibility. 3. Push for more frequent, more affordable public transportation to reduce congestion. 4. Reduce illegal dumping by promoting and expanding bulk waste removal programs.
SUPPORTING SCHOOLS AND PARKS What if we had working partnerships with park services and the school district? Here's James' plan: 1. Partner with San Leandro Unified School District to work together on improvement of school-adjacent parks and facilities, including management. 2. Coordinate a working group between the City Council and the Department of Parks and Recreation. 3. Develop partnerships between San Leandro Unified School District, Building & Construction Trades, San Leandro Teachers Association, California School Employees Association, Teamsters, and Trades to create enhanced education and union employment opportunities for students. 4. Continue supporting partnerships between San Leandro libraries and San Leandro Unified School District.
RESPONDING TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS What if we set the stage for the city's response to environmental issues? Here's James' plan: 1. Support transit-oriented development, upzoning, and densification, creating conditions for a thriving public transit network and walkable/accessible neighborhoods. 2. Collaborate with labor and community partners to develop a more robust climate action plan with measures for outcomes. 3. Enhance the existing Climate Action Plan, and allocate dollars appropriate for its full implementation. 4. Promote climate crisis emergency preparedness, such as regularly distributing masks and air filters, expanding cooling centers for residents and providing evacuation education.
ENDORSEMENTS
ELECTED OFFICIALS
Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer
Aisha Wahab, State Senator
Dylan Boldt, City Councilmember
Jim Prola, Former Vice Mayor
George Syrop, Hayward City Councilmember
Janani Ramachandran, Oakland City Councilmember
Marisol Rubio, San Ramon City Councilmember
Alysse Castro, Alameda County Superintendent
Cheryl Cook-Callio, ACOE Board Member
Angela Normand, ACOE Board Member
Jennifer Brouhard, Oakland School Board President
ORGANIZATIONS
San Lorenzo Education Association
Run for Something
LOCAL LEADERS
*This could be you!*
WORK TOGETHER ★ BUILD TOGETHER ★ THRIVE TOGETHER
