GAPA PAC Endorsements 2022

GAPA is happy to endorse the following AAPI, LGBTQ and Ally candidates for the November 2022 elections. Please feel free to email questions or comments to Mike Chen, PAC Director (pac@gapa.org)

We also get more in-depth with some of our endorsed candidates who are making a difference for our communities. To see their thoughts and comments, please scroll down further below.

The endorsed candidates below have graciously offered to respond to a set of questions posed by GAPA asking them why they are running for their particular office. We hope they will inspire you to get even more plugged into the communities in which you live.

SHAWN KUMAGAI
CA State Assembly, District 20

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I’m a third-generation military veteran, son of a first-generation Japanese immigrant and only Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidate in the race for Assembly. I’m also a lifelong Democrat and Dublin’s first openly gay City Councilmember who has been keeping promises and delivering results for Alameda County families. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. After losing my mother, I stepped up to become legal guardian to my younger brother. We planted roots in Dublin, but with out-of-control housing costs keeping families from homeownership, I made affordable housing my mission. 

Why are you running for office? 

I will work to advance LGBTQ equity issues in our criminal justice system and in our government systems and reporting; expand resources to our local governments and CBOs so that we can get health and human ser- vices to our LGBTQ community, particularly our trans people of color, youth, and elderly communities; advance pro-LGBTQ education and professional training in our schools so that all schools are an inclusive environment for our youth; ban conversion therapy.

GAPA aims to build a QTAPI community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. How do your values align with that of GAPA’s?

As the Asian American running in a plurality AAPI district, it is incredibly important to me that we have AAPI representation at all levels of our government. I also strongly believe in mentoring the next generation of AAPI leaders. That’s why my campaign has worked to engage AAPI young people in the election by developing a comprehensive internship program that engages students with practical campaign experience, giving them the ability to connect with neighbors and learn about local policies in their community. community. My campaign has also engaged with non-English language speakers by participating in round tables and engagements that target underserved communities within our AAPI community.

As a Councilmember I have consistently advocated for pro-LGBTQ policies. I advocated for our city's (and region's) first LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation and to raise the Pride flag, advancing awareness and visibility for our LGBTQ community. I also advocated for our city to self-evaluate using the HRC Municipal Equality Index. Our first year we achieved a score of 82, and working with staff we now have a score of 95.

Anything else you would like to add? 

There’s a role for everyone in our political process! You don’t necessarily have to be an elected official to make a big impact in your community. Follow your passion and find ways to make things better for our community. That can be by helping political campaigns, volunteering in non-profit organizations, or working within a field that directly impacts our community. And if you would like to run for public office, do the training programs, build your network of supporters and cheerleaders, and go for it!

ALFRED TWU
AC Transit, At-Large

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I like to say that I wear a lot of hats - I work as an architect and also as an independent artist and graphic designer, using art to connect people to and help make it easier to understand state and local politics - including illustrations of California housing legislation and ballot measures, as well as board games on water policy, the debate on where to build housing, and sea level rise.  I've lived in the East Bay since 2002 when I came here to go to UC Berkeley, lived in Fremont briefly after graduating in 2006, and then returned to Berkeley.  Throughout this time I've worked in San Francisco, living that transbay life and getting involved politically on both sides of the bridge. 

Why are you running for office? 

As a transit rider and advocate, it's clear that transit in the Bay Area is at a key crossroads.  With remote and hybrid office jobs here to stay, ridership is not expected to fully recover until the 2030s.  At the same time, we have the opportunity from a new generation that is enthusiastic about riding transit and living in the city, not to mention the need for the Bay Area to build hundreds of thousands of new homes near bus stops and BART stations.  That's why I'm running for AC Transit Board - to bring together our region's 20+ transit agencies towards a seamless network, build the movement needed to get the funding to avoid the "fiscal cliff" when federal relief funds run out in a couple years, and work with cities to plan for homes near transit.  If we can secure the funds to keep buses and trains running these next few years, transit has a bright future ahead as more people switch away from driving.

GAPA aims to build a QTAPI community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. How do your values align with that of GAPA’s?

I've said that politics is like a bus - we come from different places and have different destinations, but for the part of the journey we're headed the same way, we get there faster together. In politics I've worked to make connections between API and LGBTQ communities and leaders, helped organize an event for LGBTQ transit advocates, and am out there being visible and highlighting the work of our communities in the suburbs. While San Francisco is the historic center, today, many of us live in the East Bay and South Bay, and it's critical that we make sure they feel they're also central to our movement.

Anything else you would like to add? 

I don't own a car, and although the AC Transit district is a big one, stretching all the way from Richmond to Fremont, I've been getting around to endorsement meetings and events using the 3 B's: bus, BART, and bike.  It can be done!

GABRIEL QUINTO
El Cerrito City Council

Mayor Gabriel "Gabe" Quinto became El Cerrito's first Filipino-American, the second Asian-American and first LGBTQ Councilmember in the history of the city of El Cerrito. Born in Berkeley, he grew up in El Cerrito, where he attended public schools. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at California State University, Long Beach he earned his Bachelor of Science in Radio, TV & Film.

Prior to his election to the El Cerrito City Council, he served as a member of El Cerrito’s Committee on Aging and as Chair of the Human Relations Commission. For many years, Gabe was an elected member of the Sierra Club Bay Chapter’s Executive and Political committees, and Chair of the West Contra Costa County Group. Quinto began his first term on the El Cerrito City Council on December 2014. His second four-year term began in December 2018 when he was instrumental in the passage of Measure V which established El Cerrito as a Charter City and implemented a property transfer tax. Measure H was also passed to fund parks and city’s pool.  

Quinto has been Council Liaison to most of the city's Boards and Commissions. In 2020 he became the first El Cerrito Councilmember to Chair the Contra Costa Mayors Conference since the 1990s when Councilmember Jane Bartke served. In 2021 Quinto became the first El Cerrito Councilmember to be on the Marin Clean Energy Executive Committee. In 2021, Mayor Quinto became the first El Cerritan to be appointed as Boardmember statewide for the League of California Cities. Gabe just finished his term as President of the East Bay Division & LGBTQ Caucus and in 2018-2019 was President of the API Caucus as well as a member of the Environmental Policy Committee. Mayor Quinto also was appointed to the Committee on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, Committee on Governance and Committee on Board Nominations. For his third term bid, Mayor Quinto is endorsed by the California Democratic Party, the Sierra Club, the entire El Cerrito City Council and former Mayors.  

Mayor Quinto's dedication to public service and his community of El Cerrito continues to fuel his work on behalf of El Cerrito. For more information, please visit quintoforelcerrito.com

JIM ODDIE
Alameda City Council

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

After moving to the Bay Area in the mid-1990's, I settled in Alameda, and soon became politically active. After serving many years as the President of the City of Alameda Democratic Club, I volunteered as the campaign manager for Rob Bonta's successful campaign for City Council and served as his District Director for over six years after he was elected to the State Assembly.  I was an elected member of the Alameda City Council from 2012 through 2020 and running again this year.  While not campaigning, I am the General Counsel and VP of Finance for a small technology company. 

Why are you running for office? 

I'm running for office again to preserve the progressive majority on our city council.  It takes a lot to serve in elected office, but anything that is thrown at us pales in comparison to the real-life problems of our neighbors who are homeless or facing staggering housing costs.  I'm running to make a difference for these residents. 

GAPA aims to build a QTAPI community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. How do your values align with that of GAPA’s?

In 2018, while in the midst of a re-election campaign, I decided to come out publicly and became the first open LGBTQ+ member elected to the city council.  After being afraid about it for so many years, it turned out to be a positive experience.  I will always remember the parent of an LGBTQ+ teenager writing me and saying that it meant so much to her daughter to have representation in her local city council - I wish I was as brave as this teenager who came out at such a young age.   

As a councilmember, I promoted an agenda of equity and inclusion, including funding for the first time, to the Alameda Unified School District to provide mental health services to students, including many LGBTQ+ students who expressed suicidal thoughts.  I worked with our City's HR staff to ensure our HR policies support our transgender employees, passed a city policy to provide gender-neutral bathrooms in city facilities, and put a successful measure on the ballot to make our charter gender-neutral.  Representation matters. 

Anything else you would like to add? 

Thank you GAPA PAC for your endorsement.  I've enjoyed attending your events over the years and appreciated this year's Banquet event being in the East Bay!

HARRIS MOJADEDI
Chabot-Las Positas Community College Trustee

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 My name is Harris Mojadedi and I am the son of refugees from Afghanistan. I am incredibly lucky to have been born and raised in Southern Alameda County– a region with a large and diverse AAPI population. My family, like many immigrant/refugee families, struggled to maintain our basic needs. Fleeing a wartorn nation and not understanding the language caused extreme inequities. Working to solve these complex inequities are what drive me into public service and community organizing. I have been fortunate enough to serve my community in several roles, including Chair of the Alameda County Human Relations Commission, Chair of the Union City Planning Commission and as an activist within the California Democratic Party. I have been fortunate enough to serve as Northern Chair of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, Alameda County Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus and through various non-profit organizations. 

Why are you running for office? 

I am running to serve as a Trustee on the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District to work towards access and equity in higher education. My own journey has been shaped by the educators (teachers, classified employees, professors, student services professionals) who have helped me feel a sense of belonging. I am running to ensure that my college district can be a place where each and every person, regardless of where they come from can thrive. I am proud to be running in a trustee area seat that is a majority AAPI seat, one that represents the diversity of our community. 

GAPA aims to build a QTAPI community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. How do your values align with that of GAPA’s?

 My values are shaped by the intersection of my identity as an AAPI and LGBTQ+ person. As someone who is QTAPI identifying, I’ve experienced firsthand the othering that can happen both within the LGBTQ+ community and AAPI community, which is why I am committed to ensuring that the voices of QTAPI community are celebrated and honored within the broader community.

RAFAEL MANDELMAN
San Francisco Supervisor
District 8

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have been involved in San Francisco political and civic life for two decades: as a Democratic Party activist, longtime DCCC member, member of the Building Inspection Commission and Board of Appeals, LGBT Community Center Board Co-Chair, Livable City Board President, City College Trustee (where I helped lead the fight to save City College and re-establish local control), and for the last four years as a Supervisor representing District 8.

As a District Supervisor, it has been my great honor to work with neighborhood groups and community organizations to improve the areas that I represent and to work to address some of the larger citywide challenges confronting San Francisco, including homelessness (campaigned for Proposition C and authored Shelter for All legislation), mental health and substance abuse (co-chaired 2019 Methamphetamine Task Force, helped push for Street Crisis Response Teams, championed expansion of conservatorship and addition of board, care, and locked beds for people with serious long-term behavioral health needs), housing (passed legislation to limit monster homes, allow fourplexes, and sixplexes on corner lots, citywide and helped secure additional funding for affordable housing in District 8 and across the City), transportation (co-convened the Muni Performance Working Group, chairing the County Transportation Authority, working to pass extension of transportation sales tax on November ballot) and environment (sponsored San Francisco’s declaration of climate emergency, banned natural gas in new construction, expanded the City’s onsite water re-use requirements, and helped secure General Fund support for the Department of the Environment over multiple years).

Why are you running for office?

I am proud of the work I and my team have accomplished over the last four years, but there is plainly much more work to do, including especially in the following areas:

Homelessness: No issue has occupied more of my time and attention over the last four years than our City’s homelessness crisis, and especially the mental health and addiction challenges experienced by many of our unhoused residents. I have strongly supported and will continue to fight for additional resources to end homelessness for as many people as we can. I will also continue to push for immediate exits from the street for any unhoused, unsheltered people willing and able to accept them and for a more assertive response (through case management where possible, conservatorship where necessary) and appropriate placements for people who need higher levels of care. 

Housing Affordability: San Francisco has increasingly become a city unaffordable to most people. I have worked to secure additional funding for affordable housing development and to locate new affordable developments in my district. I also believe we must create additional opportunities for development of market rate housing across San Francisco, have passed fourplex legislation to allow multi-unit development in areas that have not historically seen much of it and support and will continue to argue for other zoning and permitting changes to allow more market rate development that respects the character of existing neighborhoods and avoids displacement of existing residents.  

Climate Change: I do not believe there is any issue more important for the wellbeing of today’s young people and future generations. I am proud to have authored San Francisco’s ban on natural gas in new construction and other significant environmental legislation, but we have a lot more work to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings as well as to fully electrify our automobiles and trucks. 

GAPA aims to build a QTAPI community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. How do your values align with that of GAPA’s?

I have served most of the last four years as the only queer Supervisor on the Board. It was my great honor to work with our queer API community leaders to establish a dedicated Queer Trans API (QTAPI) Week in the wake of the explosion of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. I authored the Resolution which made San Francisco the first city in the country to designate a week of celebration and recognition for the QTAPI community.

I am also proud of the work we have done during that time to support queer San Franciscans, including:

1) Helping secure millions of dollars in funding for Jazzie’s Place, Open House, the LGBT Community Center, LYRIC, Our Trans Home SF, Lyon-Martin, the Castro Country Club and others; 

2) Helping secure millions of dollars in investment in HIV/AIDS funding, including housing subsidies for people living with HIV/AIDS, mental health and wellbeing programming for long-term survivors, and support for the essential (but at-risk) prevention work of organizations like the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and AGUILAS:

3) Working with the Mayor to acquire the property at 1939 Market for development of a third 100+ unit affordable housing development for LGBTQ+ seniors;

4) Repealing the ban on bathhouses and passing zoning updates to create a permitting pathway for bathhouses to reopen in San Francisco;

5) Repealing a 37 year old ban on permitting new bars to open in the Castro District, allowing more diverse bar ownership in the historically queer neighborhood within my district;

6) Authoring the ordinance that established the Castro LGBTQ+ Cultural District;

7.) Landmarking the Lyon-Martin House and leading the charge to preserve queer representation on the Historic Preservation Commission;

8) Making the Lesbian & Gay Freedom Band the official band of the City and County of San Francisco;

9) Sponsoring regular hearings on City departments’ collection of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity data;

10) Helping secure funding for acquisition of an LGBTQ+ History Museum in the Castro;

I look forward to continuing to work with GAPA to advance the interests of the QTAPI and other queer communities. 

Anything else you would like to add?

I love San Francisco. Growing up here, people at my middle and high schools took me in at a time when my own family couldn’t care for me. They gave me the stability I needed to be able to go on to college, policy school and grad school, practice law for nearly two decades and get engaged in my community at the same time. And I think that time and that involvement – with the Democratic Clubs, neighborhood associations, nonprofit boards like the LGBT Center, advocacy organizations – has helped make me a better Supervisor. Back in 2010, I ran for Supervisor against Scott Wiener and lost. If you’re gonna run and lose, I say lose to and learn from the best. Two years later I ran for the Community College Board and helped save City College from closing. We also made it free. And four years ago, I had another opportunity to run for Supervisor, and this time I won. I am the Supervisor I am because of those twenty years of experience. I am not the same person who first signed up for the Noe Valley Democratic Club back in 2002, nor the same person who became a Commissioner on the Board of Appeals back in 2008, nor the same person who ran against Scott in 2010, nor am I the same person who stepped into chaos at City College back in 2013. I have learned from each of those experiences, and grown from them, and I think become a better representative for District 8 because of it.  My team and I work really hard every day to deliver for the District, and to deliver for San Francisco, and I would humbly ask for your support to continue to serve in this job for another four years. 

Dino Duazo