Public Safety

Protecting our community has been Zac’s profession for more than 25 years. A firefighter and paramedic who works and lives in Oakland, Zac is passionate about genuine public safety solutions. The choice between public safety and civil rights is a false one; we must have both. He will pursue a multi-pronged approach to address public safety that focuses on:

  • Hiring and retaining law enforcement and dispatchers, especially those from the community who reflect the diversity of Oakland;
  • Fixing our broken 911 system;
  • Getting more officers into the streets and understanding the communities they serve – community policing;
  • Investing more in Cease-Fire, the Department of Violence Prevention, and license plate readers and security cameras to identify and prevent crimes in progress and crack down on gun violence;
  • Targeting and breaking up the criminal rings responsible for car break-ins, strong-arm robberies, retail thefts, bike thefts, and catalytic converter thefts;
  • Evaluating the success of programs like MACRO and expanding the ones that have proven to be effective;
  • Embracing a hope agenda that offers alternatives to youth and young adults, including pathways to more career training, more after-school programs, and safe parks accessible to every neighborhood; and
  • Ensuring sound wildfire prevention strategies and oversight of apartment buildings in need of repair.
  • Building safer streets to reduce vehicle speeds, advance Vision Zero, and protect pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers from street trauma.

Housing

The housing affordability crisis requires us to act with urgency. Zac will work to leverage all available federal, state, and regional resources to build housing at all levels, including projects with a high percentage of affordable housing units. We must also eliminate red tape that prevents homeowners from building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on their parcels, with appropriate precautions in high risk wildfire zones. Working with the community, city leaders, and developers, Zac will get to the bottom of why it takes twice as long to build in Oakland as it does in neighboring cities, as these delays drive up the cost of housing and prevent neighbors from finding the security and peace of mind that comes with stable housing.

Accessibility

Zac will maintain an open door policy at his office and prioritize hiring quality staff focused on addressing concerns brought by District 1 constituents. He will also regularly host community meetings to hear from constituents. Zac is a problem-solver at heart, but even when he can’t solve every issue, he will acknowledge the concerns brought to his office and explain clearly what can be done about them.

Small Business Support

Zac is committed to attracting and retaining businesses in District 1 and throughout Oakland. We are a fun, diverse, culturally rich community connected to major airports, ports, roadways, and rail. We can attract cutting-edge businesses in the green and cultural economies and sustain vibrant locally-owned small businesses, but it takes a City Council that is responsive to their needs and eager to solve problems. Zac is a problem-solver. We also need to partner with Laney, Merritt, the trades, and private companies to create training programs for lower-income Oaklanders who might not be on the four-year college track. 

Environmental Quality

With his background in environmental science, Zac is committed to making Oakland one of the greenest cities in the country. In addition to making Oakland a hub of the green economy by attracting a critical mass of businesses in that sector, we must maintain and improve our natural resources. Our open spaces, waterways, and street trees must be maintained not only for their beauty, but for the critical work they do in cleaning the air, reducing urban heat levels, and providing habitat for animals. Zac firmly believes that our parks are for our children and we must provide our kids with recreational spaces that are abundant, safe, and blight-free.