For 30 years, Sandré Swanson has served our community as Chief of Staff, to Congresswoman Barbara Lee and District Director and Senior Policy Adviser to Congressman Ron Dellums. He has earned a reputation as a dedicated and hardworking public servant with an impressive record of accomplishments on behalf of the people of our district.

Sandré is the past Chairman of the Alameda County Retirement Board, and is currently in his 3rd term as a Trustee for the successful $4.7 billion pension organization. The retirement board supports the pension system and retirement security for 15,000 active and retired county employees and their families

In announcing his candidacy, Sandré said, “the education, health and safety of our children will be my top priority in the California State Assembly. I will work for a state budget that makes the education of our children a real priority for California. I believe keeping our promise to our children will help us build strong communities and create sustainable jobs”.

Sandré continues today to work hard to support Universal Health Care, create local jobs, improve educational opportunities, promote affordable housing, reduce crime, secure youth and senior citizen services, protect consumers, improve mass transit, build successful small businesses and advocate for a healthy environment.

California is facing an historic budget crisis. Sandré has the experience and ability to join the fight and develop solutions that will protect our priorities. As a member of the Assembly, Sandré will promote policies that value the contributions of working families and would continue to oppose the Governor’s strategies of government by Initiatives. Sandré believes this policy is keeping California in crisis and our State’s prosperity in decline.

Sandré Swanson has a specific record of progressive leadership on behalf of the residents in the East Bay. His record of service has been endorsed by the California Teachers Association; California Nurses Association; California Labor Federation; Central Labor Council of Alameda County; the Sierra Club; Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, OakPac; Oakland Education Association, OEA; California State Council, SEIU; American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, AFSCME; California Federation of Teachers; Faculty Association of California Community Colleges; Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council and the California League of Conservation Voters. (Partial list)

The following are some highlights of that distinguished record:

Promoting Economic Development, Jobs and the Environment

Working with Congresswoman Lee, Sandré managed the successful effort to secure Congressional authorization for a 252 million dollar dredging project for the Port of Oakland. The “50 Foot Dredging Project” will deepen our port’s harbor to accommodate the latest generation of container vessels. This new shipping capacity for Oakland’s seaport will generate 8,800 additional jobs, $1.9 billion of increased annual business revenue and 62 million dollars of increased annual local tax revenue. Sandré and his colleagues also assisted in negotiating an agreement to use the resulting dredge material for wetland restoration, habitat enhancement and upland use within the San Francisco Bay which is setting a new national environmental standard for reuse of dredged material.

Military Base Conversion:
A Major Jobs Project

Sandré has served as Vice-Chairman and member of the Alameda Reuse Authority and the Oakland Base Reuse Authority, agencies charged with converting closed military bases in our county to successful civilian reuse. Today these bases are building new homes, growing businesses and creating jobs

Congressman Dellums, who served as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, assigned Sandré to head his national planning process for finding successful reuse strategies for military bases scheduled for closure. Sandré spearheaded the military base conversion effort for Alameda County and was the architect of the cross-jurisdictional memberships on the local reuse authorities. His efforts resulted in greater cooperation and faster reuse.

Sandré managed the Congressional oversight of more than 50 million dollars in federal conversion planning and clean-up monies for the cities of Oakland and Alameda.Working with Congressman Dellums, Sandré managed the successful transfer of Naval Fleet Industrial Supply Center to the cities of Alameda and Oakland.

Today, in Alameda 87 acres of that land has been cleaned up and have under construction 485 new homes. Oakland uses their share of that land to create two new marine terminals and for the creation of Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, which provides open space for recreation and learning.

Protecting Worker’s Pensions

Sandré is the past Chairman of the Alameda County Retirement Board. He is currently in his third term as Trustee for the County of Alameda’s 4.7 billion dollar pension organization that supports the pension system for 15,000 active and retired county employees and their families. He believes passionately that worker pension security is a promise that can not be broken. Among his priorities is working for the protection of our worker’s pensions and against any raid on worker retirement security by the Governor and his supporters.

Recreation and Economic Development

Sandré served as Chairman of the City of Alameda Golf Commission which manages Alameda’s successful 45 hole golf complex. As a Commissioner he is leading the Commissions current planning effort for a new club house for the Alameda Golf Complex and is working on the long range planning for a hotel and sports complex at Alameda Point (former Navel Air Station). Sandré is committed to providing recreational activities for children and families.

Securing Worker Rights

Sandré served as Chairman and Commissioner for the city of Oakland’s Civil Service Commission for two terms. The Commission’s caseload for employee and union appeals doubled because each appeal got a fair hearing from Chairman Swanson. He worked to protect the rights of employees in the work place. Sandré fought for the principles of progressive management and for fair promotions for minorities and woman in the police department, fire department, in public works and thought-out city government.

Investing in Oakland

The Oakland Federal Building was built in 1993. The effort to bring the federal building to Oakland took more than a decade and Sandré was assigned to head this project for Congressman Dellums office. This very important project that required great team work from many local partners which the Congressional office insisted, included labor. Sandré helped win this very important two hundred million dollar project for Oakland and today the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building is the work place for many federal employees and its twin towers represent an impressive gateway to our city.

As Chairman of the Alameda County Retirement Board Sandré led the successful effort to purchase and not continue to lease a building in downtown Oakland. That building now serves as the permanent home for Alameda County retirees. The building has also been a very successful investment for our County pension fund.

Developing Worker Own Businesses

Sandré started the Worker to Business Owner Project for former military base workers who lost their jobs due to base closures in our county. He helped secure a grant for the program and got private sector partners to support the project. The project trained former base workers to become business owners and provided them technical assistance as needed. The program helped the potential business owners write their business plan, conduct market studies, analyze competition and forecast the financial feasibility of the business. Today these businesses employ many workers and credit Sandré as the reason they are still in business.

Promoting Small Business

Sandré is the Founder and currently the Chairman of the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission’s Small Business Revolving Loan Fund, which provides business loans of up to $250,000 to businesses in Alameda County. The fund helps emerging companies in Alameda County that are having difficulty in receiving traditional financing from banks. The programs goal is to provide business gap financing for eligible small businesses to stimulate the local economy and to create jobs. The loan fund has been in operation for six years and Sandré credits the technical assistance that is provided to the businesses as the reason for its success.

Fruitvale Transit Village:
Revitalizing Communities Through Housing

Sandré was proud to be part of Congresswoman Lee’s team that secured millions of dollars for the Fruitvale Transit Village and helped the Unity Council reach its goals with this land mark development. Sandré said “This project represents a great development philosophy and shows what a broad-based partnership of public, private, and nonprofit organizations working together to revitalize a community using transit-oriented development can accomplish”.

Our campaign has a very broad base of support because Sandré has a record of celebrated service to our community. Sandré Swanson is running to win the 16th Assembly District seat in the General Election on November 7, 2006.

We invite you to join our winning campaign - www.SandreSwanson.org

— Sandré Swanson for Assembly 2008 Committee