Charlene Wang brings a wealth of public service experience along with the perspective of an East Bay native to her campaign for reelection to Oakland’s city council. After graduating from Columbia University—with a degree in environmental engineering—and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, she stayed on the East Coast for some time, crafting health care, transportation, and housing policy for local elected officials and the federal government; this period also included a stint at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she worked in pursuit of environmental justice. 

Upon her return to the East Bay, a desire to “build a safer, cleaner, and more just Oakland” compelled Charlene to run for office herself. Since joining the city council, she has navigated legislative gridlock to affirm Oakland’s commitment to climate-oriented solutions for the city’s housing shortage, taken on the fossil fuel industry by penning a resolution in support of the transition toward zero-emission technology in furnaces and water heaters, and combatted illegal dumping by organizing neighborhood bulky item pickups and securing funding for solar-powered cameras at frequent dumping sites. 

An initiative that she takes particular pride in having spearheaded is the first-of-its-kind Climate Resilience Hub at the Lincoln Recreation Center, which will provide backup power, disaster-relief resources, and emergency shelter in the event of a climate-related disaster; she notes that infrastructure like this is essential “as wildfire, extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding, and power outages become more frequent.”

This forward-thinking pragmatism reflects a holistic approach to the challenges facing Oakland; Charlene recognizes that strong climate policy is central to building a safer, healthier, and more affordable city.

Campaign website: https://www.charleneforoakland.com/

Volunteer some time: https://www.charleneforoakland.com/get-involved