POLICY
Housing
Shawn will enter the job with powerful, equity-forward policies on Day One. For example, Shawn has penned a zero displacement housing program that will support inclusive growth and keeping families in Oakland, all while expanding housing opportunities for refugees, immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ population, and former Oakland residents that were displaced over the last century. His zero displacement housing program will ensure that residents will have the option to stay in place, all while expanding housing opportunities and building intergenerational wealth for themselves and their loved ones.
Transportation
Shawn cares deeply about climate equity and is keenly aware of the harms that urban renewal and the construction of highways had on Oakland’s communities and wealth. Shawn will prioritize right-sizing our infrastructure to be human-scale and safe for Oaklanders in the short and long term. He will help the City redesign its streets to move us efficiently and affordably by protecting residents in wheelchairs, on bicycles, and on foot. Shawn has worked to help Cities prioritize green infrastructure and transportation, building incentives into statewide policies for supporting buses and efforts that keep pedestrians safe. In addition, Shawn serves on the Board of Directors for TransForm and Transport Oakland, two advocacy groups that center people and equity in advocating on how we move around our Cities.
Small Business and Economic Development
Shawn is deeply passionate about supporting local businesses and has day one policies that will make it easier and more affordable to start businesses in the community, including cafes, corner markets, restaurants, and many others. Shawn is an expert on zoning and the rules that govern what can be built in our Cities. In addition to bringing back the neighborhood market, he is able to connect issues of housing, transportation, and economic development in ways that will ensure Oakland is prosperous and the wealth that we create is equitably shared.
Cost of Living
Shawn is keenly aware of the crippling effects of the last 15 years of rising prices on housing, food, education, transportation and so many other basic needs. Shawn’s policies will put downward pricing pressure on housing, making home ownership far more accessible to generations that have largely been left out of California’s prosperity. Shawn also cares deeply about the cost of child care and feels strongly that being a parent should not come at the expense of our financial stability. Shawn’s policy strategies, such as streamlining coliving arrangements and expanding access to childcare, will make parenting in Oakland significantly more accessible.
Workers and Unions
Shawn has been a proud dues paying member of two strong unions over the last five years and cares deeply about supporting workers. Shawn will propose legislation to move Oakland City staff to a four-day, 36-hour work week, to ensure that public servants have good work life balance, while exploring ways to expand this schedule to other industries. Policies like this may be branded as extreme, but the truth is the City of Alameda, directly South of Oakland’s Jack London Square, has this exact policy codified, and the City still functions great. Shawn will propose legislation that will guarantee workers a share of revenue in the businesses where they work to help Oaklanders share in the wealth we create in our City.
Climate Change
Understanding that climate change is among the greatest threats to humanity is a guiding principle at the center of this campaign. The reason Shawn became so invested in housing policy was to help reimagine our built environment to be more human-scale. The reality is the UN Intergovernmental on Climate Change gives us until 2030 to reach net zero emissions and no politician is moving at an urgency that reflects this reality. As a former climate organizer and current board member of two transit-focused non-profits, Shawn is the climate candidate in this race, and all the housing, transportation, and small business policies will help us be a more sustainable City, both financially and environmentally.