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College Instructors Endorse Swanson for Assembly
The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) endorsed Sandré Swanson for the 16th Assembly District in the Democratic Party primary, the Swanson campaign announced today.
The FACCC advocates for 49,000 community college instructors, librarians, nurses and other community college staff throughout the state.
Working as Chief of Staff and senior policy adviser to Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Ron Dellums for the last 30 years, Swanson has been a consistent and powerful voice for educational opportunity for all – and has pledged to make increased education funding his top priority in the Assembly.
“Community colleges serve as the gateway to California’s outstanding higher education system for many young people of color, and people from immigrant families,” said Swanson. “I’m particularly proud to earn the endorsement of the community college faculty, because as a young man I got my start at Laney College.”
Swanson served as the student body President of Laney College in the early 1970s. In fact, Swanson met his future political mentor Ron Dellums at an anti-war protest at which Swanson led the Laney College student delegation. Swanson went on to work for Dellums for 25 years, eventually serving as his Senior Policy Advisor and District Director.
“Providing high quality education is the number one responsibility of the State of California,” Swanson declared. “Unfortunately, in recent years we have under-funded both our K-12 schools, and our system of higher education. In the Assembly, I will fight to provide adequate funding so that our children get the same opportunities to succeed as we had.”
Swanson has won the support of the Alameda County Central Labor Council; the California Nurses Association; the Oakland Chamber of Commerce PAC (OakPAC); and the California League of Conservation Voters. He has also earned the support of Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Ron Dellums; Assemblywoman Loni Hancock; State Senator Don Perata; Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson; and the majority of city council members in both Oakland and Alameda.