Wan Seat Up for Grabs
April 29, 2005
A few dozen Oakland voters spent a sunny Sunday inside the Parkway Theater to listen to the candidates vying for District 2 Council member Danny Wan’s vacated seat. In what was billed as the “penultimate” community forum, the eight candidates for the mail-in-only election debated a multiplicity of issues facing the district, home to the city’s largest Asian population and a target for massive development.
What was presented to those who didn’t already know, is a picture of a troubled district that feels neglected by the current power structure in City Hall. Though generally civilized, when the candidates chose to go on the attack, it seemed that Patricia Kernighan, Wan’s former chief of staff (she has his endorsement as well as current Council member Ignacio de la Fuente), got the brunt of it.
Shirley Gee, born in District 2 and the executive manager of Stanford University, scorched the Oakland powers that be for never helping to fund her successful Dragon Boat project, which floated on its own for eight years before sinking under the weight of non-funding. “I’m absolutely seething” at the lack of support, said Gee.
One issue that affects Chinatown residents is the Oak-to-9th development project, slated to put 3,100 market-rate apartments into District 2. How would candidates preserve the unique culture and personality of the neighborhoods? Todd Plate, a nonprofit consultant, said 450 units should be set aside for low-income renters in what he called “inclusionary zoning.” Aimee Allison offered 30% as her formula to prevent the “gutting of our neighborhood through gentrification.”
Kernighan provided a somewhat dissenting voice, saying that creating market-rate housing wasn’t necessarily a problem. “Housing prices have been kept down by crime and poor schools,” she said, to warm applause.
David Kakishiba, who is the executive director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center and current Oakland School Board member, talked with AsianWeek after the meeting, outlining concerns that the district’s large Asian community shared with its neighbors. Lincoln Park in Chinatown, he noted, is one of the busiest recreation centers in the city, but with only a mid-level of staffing. Safety issues trouble San Antonio and Garfield parks, whose mixed-use includes many Asians. The Oak-to-9th development project could create major traffic gridlock for Chinatown and raise land values substantially in a neighborhood that is mainly low-income renters.
Finally, Kakishiba pointed out, he just received a flyer from the city last week, printed in English text only with no helpful symbols. “I was a little alarmed,” he said. Was the city doing anything to reach out to non-English-speaking voters. “No,” he said.
The District 2 City Council seat was vacated by Danny Wan in January, forcing a special election. Voters will receive an absentee ballot between April 18 and May 7, and must postmark it by election day (May 17).
Shirley Gee
• Occupation: Executive University Manager, Stanford University
• 2002 Oakland’s Citizen of the Year
• Founder of the Dragon Boat Project - A youth, family, senior and commercial business project
Margaret “Peggy” Moore
• Occupation: Community Outreach Specialist
• Founder of “Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride”
• East Bay Director of the No on Knight ballot initiative campaign mobilization in 2000
Justin Horner
• Occupation: Legislative Staff Director for Council member Jane Brunner, District 1
• Member, Board of Directors, Sentinel Fair Housing
• Vice President, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21
Paul E. Garrison
• Occupation: Neighborhood Association President
Todd Plate
• Occupation: Nonprofit Consultant
David Kakishiba
• Occupation: Executive Director, East Bay Asian Youth Center
• Vice President, Oakland Board of Education
• Author, Oakland’s Kids First! Initiative
• Co-Founder, Oak-to-9th Community Benefits Coalition
Aimee Allison
• Occupation: Businesswoman
• Became a conscientious objector and won an honorable discharge during the Gulf War; currently counsels other service personnel about their rights
• Taught high school and served as an advocate for her primarily immigrant students
Patricia Kernighan
• Occupation: Chief of Staff for Danny Wan
• Former Policy Aide to Councilman John Russo
• Member of California State Bar
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