Meet Jamie Yee, Candidate For Pleasanton City Council

PLEASANTON, CA — Learn more about Jamie Yee, a former Pleasanton Unified School District Board trustee running to represent Pleasanton’s District Three.

1. Why are you running for Pleasanton City Council?

My family moved to Pleasanton in 1969. It was a great place to grow up and an
excellent place to raise my family. I spent 12 years on the school board, where I had the
pleasure of serving the community by providing oversight and governance and ensuring
the goals of our high-quality education program flourished. The current state of the
council came to my attention - I noticed a stubborn block had emerged. The dynamics
of the current council is hindering the rich conversation and civility needed to make
sound decisions. It is concerning that the city manager, assistant city manager, human
resources, finance, and operations directors have all left the city in the past year. I have
been told that the staff felt they were being micro-manged by the council, there was no
trust, and a very difficult and untenable working environment. I feel the current make-
up of the council does not represent our community.I knew I needed to bring my
governance experience, courage, and dedication to the council. I plan to live in
Pleasanton for the rest of my life. The decisions made by the council will affect my
family and me for the rest of my days.

2. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your constituents?

The water contamination issue is the most immediate challenge. Dealing with PFAs,
drought restrictions, and increased water costs will be a massive undertaking.

3. What should be done to solve the affordable housing crisis?

There needs to be a community education effort about the different types of housing
and what affordable and workforce means and looks like. There are many
misconceptions. Without the community’s level-set perspective, the conversation will be
more difficult. I look forward to learning about all the options and possibilities that could
come before us so we can be stewards of the process.

4. What can the city do to help its downtown and small business?

The permitting process needs to be continually improved and refined with input from the
local business owners so that we can encourage new businesses and they don’t give up
before they get started.

5. What other issues are important to you?

Ensure the city has the future revenues to operate and continue to services we rely on
while having a balanced budget.

6. What experience do you have serving the community?

I served as a trustee for the Pleasanton Unified School District Board for 12 years, from
2008-2020. I represented the school district on the City’s Economic Vitality commission
from 2013-2020. I am currently a member of the City City’s Civic Arts Commission and
the Co-chair of the Tri-Valley chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public
Affairs Association (APAPA). I have held many volunteer positions, including local PTA
leadership roles leading to eight years on the CA State PTA Board. I was appointed to
the California State Department of Education’s Environmental Literacy Task Force and
represented the school district as a Tri-Valley ROP board member. In 2007 I was
recognized as a California State Assembly Woman of the Year for my advocacy efforts
for school nurses and school health services.

7. Of which accomplishments are you most proud?

While serving as a trustee for the Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) for 12
years (2008-2020), I served as clerk and twice as Board President. I governed during
the great recession, which required very difficult decisions. Transparency and inclusive
communication were always important to me. To call for more transparency, I insisted
on instituting an ongoing cadence and process to procure required legal and audit
services instead of the CFO choosing the audit firm and going out to bid for legal
services, which hadn’t happened in some 25 years. I also advocated that a community
member should be part of the board’s audit committee, where a deep dive into the audit
would occur. Before being elected to the PUSD board, I was already an active
advocate for school health services. Because of my advocacy efforts, PUSD now has
full-time credentialed school nurses and more hours for the health clerks My advocacy
led to increased student services, e.g., social workers, family liaisons, and the creation
of the health services department.

8. Please provide links to websites and social media.

https://jamieyee.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Jamie