Kevin Jenkins

Oakland City Council sets goals and priorities for the City. The council approves the City budget, adopts ordinances to help the City serve its community members, and appoints members to various boards and commissions. We recommend that in the city council races, voters should only vote for the following progressive candidate in their district without ranking any other candidates. Ranking other candidates might result in electing a candidate who will interfere with and hinder the progressive work of the council.

Kevin Jenkins is a native of Oakland and grew up renting all his life in District 6 (D6). He sat on the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees during some of its most critical achievements: shifting resources from policing to prevention, finding solutions to illegal dumping, and
hiring a chancellor.

Jenkins graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Urban Planning, which influences his plan for developing a lively and walkable D6. He will push for economic investment in D6 which has historically been underfunded and under-invested in – it is one of the districts with the least amount of economic driving force and growth, lacking banks, pharmacies, groceries stores and other basic services. Jenkins reimagines a district in which families can walk down the beautified streets and feel safe to dine at local restaurants and shop at the small businesses. He also plans to create re-entry programs to help formerly-incarcerated residents successfully transition back into their community. Jenkins is ready to focus on the needs of his constituents and reinvest into programs that center the residents of D6, unlike the current councilmember who is detached from the real needs of his community. We hope that once elected, we can work closely together to co-govern with Jenkins as he grows into his position, builds strong working relationships with his fellow councilmembers, and helps develop budget priorities that lift up alternatives to public safety and reinvest from heavy police budgets to community programs and services in D6.