Candidate Name: Alex Randolph
Phone Number: 9252076632
Web site: www.alexrandolph.com
Email: info@alexrandolph.com
Name of Campaign Manager: Shwetika Baijal
Signed voluntary spending limit: No
Campaign Manager: Shwetika Baijal: (925 ) 207-6632, shwetika@50p1.com
Major Endorsements:
Organizations & Democratic Clubs
San Francisco Democratic Party
Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
District 6 Democratic Club
HONOR PAC
Equality California (EQCA)
Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
San Francisco Parents PAC
San Francisco Young Democrats
New Avenues Democratic Club
Richmond Democratic Club
Labor Unions
San Francisco Labor Council
Laborers, Local 261
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council
SF Building and Construction Trades Council
San Francisco Firefighters, Local 798
SEIU 1021
SEIU Local 87, San Francisco Janitors
Teamsters, Joint Council 7
Operating Engineers Local 3
State and Federal Officials
Rep. Jackie Speier, Congressional District 14
Rep. Eric Swalwell, Congressional District 15
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom
Attorney General Kamala Harris
State Controller Betty Yee State
Board of Equalization Chair Fiona Ma
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
State Senator Mark Leno
State Senator Ricardo Lara
Assemblymember Phil Ting
Assemblymember David Chiu
Assemblymember Evan Low
City Officials
Mayor Edwin M. Lee
Assessor-Recorder
Carmen Chu
Public Defender Jeff Adachi
District Attorney George Gascón
Supervisor London Breed
Supervisor Malia Cohen
Supervisor Mark Farrell
Supervisor Jane Kim
Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Supervisor Katy Tang
Supervisor Scott Wiener
Supervisor Norman Yee
Former Supervisor Angela Alioto
Former Supervisor Bevan Dufty
Former Supervisor Leslie Katz
Daly City Councilmember & former Mayor David Canepa
El Cerrito Councilmember Gabriel Quinto
Berkeley Rent Commissioner James Chang
Former Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner Igor Tregub
City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees
President Rafael Mandelman
Vice President Thea Selby
Trustee Amy Bacharach
Trustee Steve Ngo
Trustee John Rizzo
Trustee Brigitte Davila
Student Trustee Bouchra Simmons
Former City College President Leslie Katz
Former City College President Lawrence Wong
Former City College Trustee Chris Jackson
Former City College Trustee Andrea Shorter
Board of Education
President Matt Haney
Vice President Shamann Walton
Commissioner Hydra Mendoza
Commissioner Emily Murase
Commissioner Rachel Norton
Commissioner Jill Wynns
Community Leaders
Commissioner Kat Anderson, Recreation and Parks Commission
Commissioner Stephan Adams, Vice President Small Business Commission
Commissioner Petra De Jesus, Police Commission
Bruce Agid, Former President, South Beach District 6 Democratic Club
Justin Jones, President FRK Democratic Club
Mary Jung, DCCC Member and Former San Francisco Democratic Party Chair
Derek Remski, V.P. Membership FRK Democratic Club
Commissioner Dennis Richards, Vice President Small
Business Commission
Theresa Sparks, Former Executive Director of SF Human Rights Commission
Commissioner Debra Walker, Building Inspection Commission
Wendy Aragon, President Richmond Democratic Club
Commissioner Linda Fadeke Richardson, The Treasure Island Development Authority Board of
Directors
For Identification purposes only
Favorite Incumbent College Board Member:
Least favorite:
I admire and respect all current Board Members because they represent the values and concerns
of the people of San Francisco. Working with them all for the last 15 months has been a
privileged learning experience, and we challenge and encourage each other for the good of the
students. I am honored that all of my colleagues on the Board of Trustees have endorsed me for
my reelection
this time around.
1. Could the accreditation crisis have been foreseen and potentially
averted: How could the board have done better?
Despite of what some members of the public unfortunately think, City College is currently
accredited and in its final year of "restoration status". This status has never occurred before,
and is something new that was created after the City Attorney's lawsuit. One of the requirements
of restoration requires us as an institution to create and submit a Comprehensive Self
Evaluation Report, including addressing 32 specific areas of "continuing noncompliance", to
the Accrediting Commission on Community and Junior Colleges (ACCKJC). I am very proud
that the Board has voted to approve the selfevaluation
at our study session on July 14th. An
external review by the visiting team will take place the week of October 10th. If the External
Review finds that we meet or exceed all these requirements then we will be moved from
"restoration status" to "reaffirmation of accreditation."
The accreditation crisis provided the College District and the Board with the opportunity to
really look at how the Trustees have governed and made decisions in the past. I am proud to say
that over the past two years my colleagues and I have received numerous trainings on
accreditation, budgeting, enrollment management, labor negotiations, student success, team
building, and also how to make decisions on complex items that could be outside of our core
expertise. You could say that we are the best trained College Board in California.
2. What is your stance on public and private partnerships within the
college:
Building partnerships among different groups to make government work better for the people is
my passion. I have consistently applied that passion from my first job in government at the
Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services, to serving as Legislative Aide at the Board of
Supervisors, to the Recreation and Park Department, and most recently during my White House
appointment in President Barack Obama's Administration.
When done properly public and private partnerships with City College of San Francisco can
bring tremendous opportunity for students, staff, and faculty alike. As Trustee, I was proud to
vote to establish a new educational partnership between City College and Five Keys Charter
School. This new project will offer inmates a pathway to college and careers. I am looking
forward to building more innovative partnerships with organizations throughout the city to
ensure continued access to educational opportunities.
As high school graduate enrollment at City College has dipped in the past, we particularly
looked at reestablishing
a stronger partnership with the SF School District again. I am proud to
now sit on the newly revived SF School Board and City College Joint Committee. I am also
excited to continue my support of President Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" Initiative (MBK),
something I started getting involved in initially during my time in his Administration last year.
MBK aims to address the tremendous barriers and disadvantages young men and women face in
our country and city and provides support and mentorship to ensure they stay on track for a
successful future.
3. What is your position on tuition and fees, for instate students and for international/out-of-state students? Will you actively campaign against tuition increases on the state level?
After moving from Germany to California on my own at the age of 16, I found a lifeline in
community college. City College of San Francisco serves as that type of lifeline to 80,000
students and its strongest selling point is its superior quality of education balanced with
affordability. College tuitions have ballooned systemwide
and it is critical that City College
maintains its position as a competitively cheaper alternative for young immigrants students like
me, or working parents or first responders refining and expanding their skills.
The most critical factor affecting keeping City College affordable for all students is better fiscal
management. I am making sure City College manages voterapproved
bond funds for facility
improvements and capital projects better. I am also prioritizing the creation of a sustainable
financial plan to ensure that CCSF remains a resource for students of all backgrounds.
This year during the first week of the fall semester, I had the privilege of spending a day at
Admission and Records observing the hard work our classified staff does on a daily basis to
make sure our students are on the right path to success, including our undocumented and
international students. It was heartwarming to see so many AB540 students, the dreamers, come
in to adjust their status and be able to pay the instate
tuition.
Out of state and international tuition is set by law and not something I can change as a Trustee.
However, as a student at UC Berkeley and a Board Member of the UC Berkeley Alumni
Association I have actively advocated against tuition increases and for more funding towards
public education and I will continue to do so as a Trustee.
4. If elected to the Board, how would you ensure that you and the public would receive the college's draft budget with a sufficient time to review it thoroughly before adopting it?
Transparency is very important. I support providing the public and stakeholders enough time to
review the budget and have open and honest conversations about what City College needs to do
in order to be successful in the long term. Similar to the City's budget, I pushed to have budget
forums outside of the regular Board of Trustees meeting to give the City College Community an
opportunity to ask questions and receive information. I've also already ensured that our Board
meetings are recorded, archived and accessible to the public.
5. What is your position on selling campus properties?
I am fortunate enough to live in a rent controlled apartment in San Francisco, and therefore I
understand the stress of our affordability crisis. Many of our staff and students rely on affordable
rent, and it's imperative that City College supports them in their housing needs while finding
ways to strive towards financial sustainability. Certain properties, such as the development at 33
Gough Street, gives City College an opportunity through a long term lease, not sale, to provide
so many in our community with access to higher education and advocate for affordable housing
in San Francisco.
6. Do you feel there is enough transparency or public disclosure of the Board and the college? How would you change things?
When everyone participates we all do better. I have always worked hard to make government
more transparent and accessible to the people. Since joining the Board of Trustees, I requested
to record and archive our Board meetings again for public access.
Public disclosure is also a two way process. While we have to allow people to have access to our
proceedings we also have to make ourselves accessible to the City College community. As a
Trustee on the Marketing and Enrollment Committee, I am working to improve our marketing
and increase City College's visibility throughout San Francisco. I am conducting grassroots
outreach in our neighborhoods and schools to educate the community on City College's
multitude of programs, and am soliciting more student feedback to ensure that our students are
satisfied with their experience.
7. Have you attended the Community College Board meeting? Would you change public comment policy at the meetings? If so, how?
As Trustee I have attended many Community College Board meetings and have already made
recommendations to push public comments to be more accessible. I've requested and ensured we
start recording our meetings to allow for comments online.
8. How will you improve outreach and increase access to San Francisco Community College to low-income people, people of color, people with disabilities and students with prior drug felony convictions who are not eligible for financial aid?
Empowering underrepresented students is my biggest goal as Trustee, and I've already been
tackling ways to do this in my short time on the job. As mentioned earlier in this questionnaire, I
proudly voted to establish a new educational partnership between City College and Five Keys
Charter School, giving inmates a path to an education and a career.
City College's decreased enrollment was especially pronounced among communities of color. As
a young African American
product of community college, my own educational journey is a
powerful example for struggling students on what City College can do for them.
I am committed to increasing minority representation in emerging STEM career fields by
supporting hiring a senior administrator position specifically dedicated to increasing City
College's community outreach in underrepresented communities.
Additionally, we can leverage our relationship with the City College Foundation and the
business community to provide additional resources for students that might not qualify for
financial aid for a variety of reasons and backgrounds.
9. How would you eliminate the barriers to full access to noncitizens to all classes offered by City College?
As a current Board Member of the Cal Alumni Association, I am very proud of the two
scholarships that were established to specifically provide financial support to underrepresented
and minority students, including undocumented residents. Access to higher education is critical
and City College has done a great job providing that important pathway to thousands of students
no matter what their background or economic situation may be. I would like to see what we can
implement at City College that has worked well at other educational institutions around the
State.
10. What is your stance on gender inequity and how would you ensure that transgendered students feel safe and supported on campus? How will you make positive changes to serve this growing community?
As an openly gay man who has served on numerous LGBT organizations' boards, I am
especially sensitive to the needs and hardships our brothers and sisters in the transgender
community face every day. As one of the first educational institutions in the country to offer an
LGBT studies class and department, City College is uniquely positioned to be an inclusive and
safe environment for all of our students. City College's Gender Diversity Project has done a very
good job in supporting our growing transgender community and ensuring that CCSF continues
to be a safe and inclusive campus. As a Trustee, I am committed to supporting this organization
in their mission and advocate for any necessary changes that need to be made.
In fighting against discrimination and for the equality for the transgender community I pushed to
make sure that the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan includes sexual orientation and gender
identity as part of our definition of and goals for ensuring diversity. One specific area I am very
concerned about is policies that prevent the transgender community in school and college
campuses from using facilities consistent with their gender identity. This is something we have
already addressed by implementing genderneutral
bathroom access at City College. In addition,
I am fully onboard to support and be a leading voice in EQCA's and the Transgender Law
Center's Transform California Project.
I have been and will continue to use my role to shed light on situations where discrimination of
any kind, whether latent or obvious, be exposed and remedied. City College is a perfect place to
provide traditionally underrepresented communities access to affordable education. I am very
excited about the Free City College Initiative this year and believe this will benefit these students
greatly.
11. How will you increase quality child care at ALL campuses?
I was raised by single mother, which is why I have a deep respect for all the mothers out there
working hard to provide for their families and get an education. Cost of living, and particularly
access to quality child care, is still an issue for many families and providing access to child care
to our students, faculty, and classified staff, is important. We need to balance these needs and
services with our current budget limitations and concerns over the next couple of years. This why
the decisionmaking
that happens at the Board of Trustees now will have a remarkable legacy
over the coming years as City College passes through this critical transition. I am proud to have
voted to support the new location of our worldclass
child development center on the Phelan
Campus at the August Board meeting and unlike other childcare centers, we still have spots
available for parents to enroll their kids in. City College is actually one of the few community
colleges in the country to provide childcare to our college community.
12. How will you create more campus work opportunities for students? What is your position on having the college provide health insurance for students?
When I was a student at my community college and at UC Berkeley, campus jobs and work study
opportunities greatly contributed to my financial health. In addition to earning some extra
money they also allowed me to pursue research opportunities with my professors and become a
better student. These type of opportunities not only help our students but also contribute greatly
to the overall City College community. I am a strong champion of finding additional funding
opportunities for more work study on campus.
Students at City College currently have access to high-quality
preventive and basic episodic
care, women's health services, and psychotherapy. That being said, I understand that access to
health care is not a replacement for health insurance, something I first experienced as an
undergraduate myself as a student. While City Collegeprovided
insurance would be an
important benefit to our students, I am concerned about the potential costs it might result in. I
know that we currently have a very good and strong partnership with Covered California, which
provides important outreach material and insurance options to our students, faculty, and
classified staff, as part of the new Affordable Healthcare Act.
13. How will you work to counter and prevent profiling and police
harassment on campus? What is your position on police firearms on
campus?
Our students' safety is one of our top priorities and I am committed to ensuring that our City
College community and our public safety officers are in communication about each group's
needs and concerns. Facilitating that conversation is how we're going to solve any problems and
I'm happy to have the privilege to do so as Trustee.
Our SFCCD Police officers are currently not armed. Moreover, our campus is the only
community college district in the bay area that does not have armed police officers. I am
supportive of exploring the idea of arming our police officers and what options might be
available. I understand that the Chancellor and the Police Chief are in the process of conducting
research into this question and will bring forward a report with a set of recommendations to the
board.
I look forward to reviewing this report and take a look at the recommendations. That being said,
as a member of the college and San Francisco community, we need to be also aware of the
strained relationship especially people of color currently have with law enforcement all around
the country. With that in mind, I am looking forward to engaging the City College community
and other stakeholders about this question.
14. What is your position on allowing noncitizens the right to vote in
College Board and School Board elections?
I wholeheartedly support the current San Francisco initiative allowing noncitizens the right to
vote in School Board elections. Our community is comprised of many noncitizens who send their
kids to, or themselves attend, SF public schools and they absolutely should have a voice in the
elected officials helping determine those decisions. The more voices guiding our decisionmaking
the more democratic our community will be. I am also excited to have been one of the early
supporters and sponsors at City College to support Vote16, allowing 16 and 17 year old to vote
in local elections if approved this November.
15. What is your position on giving the student trustee full Board
Membership and voice?
While I think the Student Trustee plays a very important role on the Board of Trustees, under
California state law the Student Trustee is not allowed to have full Board Membership. That
being said, in San Francisco it has been tradition to provide the Student Trustee with an
advisory vote on items directly impacting students (i.e. fees, academics, appointments, etc), cast
first. This is a good way for the Board to receive input and hear the student perspective before
we make our decision, something not always done at other Community College Districts.
16. What are your views of transportation and pedestrian safety to, from and around City College campuses? What, if anything, would you change, and how would you go about making those changes?
I use public transit frequently for my job as a Trustee so I know what it's like to rely on the
public transit system. I am working with my fellow Trustees to ensure that City College supports
San Francisco as a Transit First city. I am promoting awareness of public transit as a
costefficient,
environmentally friendly way to get to and from City College. A functioning public
transportation system is essential for our students to get around the city and to and from class. I
have been actively involved in the various city's transportation surveys and plans for Muni and
BART improvements around our Ocean campus and Balboa station. It is important that the
needs of our students are included as the SFMTA and SFCTA plans their next steps and
revitalization of the area. Finally, I have also started discussions with BART and the City to see
if the BART and MUNI transit passes can be expanded to CCSF students.
17. What is your position of recruiting for the military on campus?
Our students should be able to explore all of the available career options and ways to pay for
their education. That being said, we need to make sure that other options and sources to pay for
college are available. I am very excited about the free city college initiative (Prop W) that will
allow everyone either living or working in San Francisco to enroll and attend City College for
free and receive a stipend up to $1,000.
18. What criteria will you use in deciding whether new cell phone antennas will be installed on top of City College buildings?
I want to study this issue more and how it impacts life at City College before taking a position at
this time.
19. Please describe how you make your political decisions. What is
the main basis for your decision making (e.g., consultation with
your constituents, political consultants, colleagues, unions,
businesses, donors, or your gut feelings)?
I make sure that I come to the table fully informed by thoroughly researching the topic at hand. I
have made my career in public service by listening to the concerns of all involved and bringing
them to resolution. Although, some problems or issues require a short term fix, my preference is
to find long term solutions.
Government works best when people are engaged and when decisionmakers
listen. When
stakeholders are involved and a part of the policy making process, a more diverse set of opinions
and knowledge can be put to use to create a more holistic solution. We might not always agree
on the final outcome but involving stakeholders from the beginning is very important.