President: Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. He’s not perfect, but he’s been willing to adopt better policies as the world changes, which earns him points in my book.
US Representative: Mike Thompson. He’s done a good job communicating about attempts to get Covid relief through congress, and just as importantly voted for that relief.
State Senator: Nancy Skinner. My opinion of her hasn’t changed- she continues to do good work in Sacramento.
Member of the State Assembly District 15: Buffy Wicks. I’m changing my position from the primary here because her opponent has conceded on her own campaign webpage. While I may not agree with Buffy on every issue, I admire her dedication towards equity for child care.
Contra Costa County Board of Education District 1: Consuelo Lara. She’s done good work on the WCCUSD board, and is against charter schools.
West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) District 1: Jamela Smith-Folds. She’s a good person, a long-time teacher and someone who has clearly been dedicated to the district.
Supervisor District 5: Federal Glover. Gus Kramer continues to be just as unacceptable to me as he was in the primary. We should not reward questionable conduct in an official role by electing that person to another official role.
Pinole City Councilmember: Maureen Toms and Devin Murphy. Maureen brings years of experience working with the county, as well as her prior work on the city council. Her intellect and knowledge will make her an asset to the council.
Devin is a small business owner who is going to bring his experience there and on the planning commission to help everyone thrive in Pinole. I like his commitment to participatory budgeting and focusing on youth engagement in Pinole in particular.
Pinole City Treasurer: Rafael Menis. I have the skills and experience to make the city’s budget and investments clear to everyone. Vote for me to be your eyes on your money.
East Bay Regional Park District Ward 1: Elizabeth Echols. She’s done a fine job expanding access to the parks while maintaining the environment- not an easy balance to keep.
BART District 7: Lateefah Simon. She’s gone out of her way to communicate with Pinole much more than past directors, and actively uses transit so she has skin in the game.
Rafael's thoughts 