Environmental Protection, Climate Justice & Clean Energy

Dan is a longtime environmental leader in the East Bay and statewide. He’s spent most of his professional career developing policy and leading advocacy campaigns to promote clean energy, implement effective climate solutions, reduce air pollution, fight for environmental health and justice strategies, defend the rights of animals, facilitate recycling, and protect our parks, waterways and open spaces. Dan believes that by growing our clean economy, we can create good, green jobs for East Bay residents while protecting our precious environment for generations to come. Dan authored the law to ban the storage and handling of coal in Oakland and was a leader in statewide efforts to promote more renewable energy. With a climate lense, Dan is also a long-time advocate for smart growth and walkable neighborhoods.

If you want to elect someone who comes from and has deep expertise and background in the environmental, climate justice and clean energy community, Dan's that guy.

Housing Affordability and Homelessness

Dan knows that high housing prices and rents are contributing to displacing long-time residents in much of the East Bay – changing the character of our neighborhoods and making it harder for people who work here to live here. Dan has been, and continues to be, a passionate and consistent leader in the effort to address our housing needs and create more affordable housing in our communities. He’s also a leader in ensuring that renters are protected from unfair displacement. Moreover, Dan knows that the state and counties must play a strong roll in working collectively to tackle our homelessness crisis. Dan will prioritize making sure the state takes seriously it’s role in providing assistance for housing our homeless residents, and in treatment for drug dependency and mental health challenges for those in need. Dan is responsible for bringing in tens of millions of dollars for affordable housing and was recognized in 2020 as an Affordable Housing Champion by East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO).

Comprehensive Public Safety

Dan has led efforts to get guns off our streets, including writing the law to ban the parts that make ghost guns. Dan will stand up to the NRA and fight for tougher gun laws. And he knows that keeping our communities safe requires smart investments in effective violence prevention and rehabilitation programs that provide education, job training and other resources to people emerging from the criminal justice system. Dan has consistently supported community-focused policing and increased funding for violence prevention and intervention. He also authored the measure that created an independent police commission in Oakland. State government must increase funding for rehabilitation and reentry services in order to reduce recidivism and help those in need.

Public Safety means many things. Dan is a leader in local efforts to reduce wildfire risk and is passionate about fighting for policies and funding for pedestrian and bicycle safety and safer routes to schools.

Combating Hate and Bigotry

We are living in challenging times with some of our neighbors under attack from extremists just because of who they are. Dan knows that we must step up our efforts locally and statewide to protect immigrants, stand up to subtle and not-so subtle forms of racism, and combat discrimination and hate in all its forms. Racism, gender discrimination, anti-semitism, and homophobia are all too real--even here in the Bay Area. Dan has been engaged in interfaith programs and broad, diverse coalitions for decades. As he has done in the past, Dan will stand up and stand with communities under attack.

Quality Public Education and Our Youth

Dan is passionate about public education and believes that our state government should increase funding for our K-12 public schools and community colleges. Dan initiated an innovative partnership with Oakland’s school district to reduce chronic absenteeism, and is a passionate supporter of community schools. Dan also will push for quality, affordable pre-school and child care. Dan worked at a Bay Area community college or five years and understands the value of our community college system. As a UC Berkeley alum, Dan also knows the value of a 4-yr college education and will work to support funding and programs to make a college education more accessible. And no one has been a stronger supporter of our school and public libraries. In 2015, California Public Library Advocates presented Dan with their outstanding elected official of the year award.

Dan has engaged with young residents on a range of issues including climate justice. He plans to create a youth & young adult advisory committee after he is elected to the State Senate. 

Seniors, Consumer Protection
and Universal Access to Health Care

With our population aging, we as a state and a society must make sure we are prepared to meet the needs of our older residents. From assisted living and skilled nursing operations, to consumer fraud and mounting health concerns, to isolation and financial security, our state must not forget our senior population. We must rein in health care costs. Dan will go toe-to-toe with the insurance industry and fight for instituting a single-payer health care system in California and nationwide—somethings Dan has supported for 35 years. Medicare for some should be Medicare for All! He looks forward to helping lead this effort in our state.  

Dan will fight to be one of our state's most passionate and effective consumer advocates.

Clean Money Elections

Big business interests have way too much influence in Sacramento! That’s why Dan has been a consistent leader locally and statewide in promoting clean money elections. Californians rightfully want a government that makes policy decisions in the light of day. Dan has always been a strong supporter of governmental ethics and transparency. That’s why the East Bay Express recognized Dan as the Best Good Government Politician a few years back. And as a former staffer for California Common Cause, Dan successfully advocated for strong campaign finance reform and open government laws.