I’m fighting to uplift every San Leandro resident and ensure a fair, safe, sustainable, and vibrant city for all.
Please donate to my progressive, people-powered campaign to help me reach voters!
ABOUT ME
I am a long-time high school teacher and third-generation San Leandran, currently pursuing a J.D. at U.C. Hastings. I live in District 1, near the San Leandro BART Station, with my husband, Ted.
Talking with thousands of San Leandro residents with different perspectives and backgrounds has taught me we all share common desires for safety, financial stability, equal opportunities, beautiful neighborhoods, and a vibrant community with our friends, neighbors, and loved ones. We want a city that learns from its past, takes thoughtful action in the present, and positions itself for a thriving future.
I’m running because I’ve seen first-hand that change is possible. I want to continue that change, working with individuals, organizations, and businesses throughout our city to create fresh, forward-thinking, compassionate policy that serves all San Leandrans.
San LEANDRO ROOTS
San Leandro is where my grandparents began their “American Dream”, immigrating from Portugal in the early 1950s with just a fourth-grade education and hopes for a better future.
My grandfather joined the military and later was a fisherman in San Francisco, while my grandmother worked at factories and canneries as a Teamster in San Leandro and Oakland—including the Del Monte factory, now San Leandro BART station.
Earning barely more than minimum wage throughout their lifetimes, they were still able to purchase a modest house on Harlan Street, which I now rent from my parents.
Now, 70 years later, San Leandrans face their own challenges. Young people, seniors and others on fixed incomes, and working families—many born and raised here—can no longer afford to live in their homes. In the last five years, homelessness has quadrupled in San Leandro. While our city has taken important steps, we must accelerate our work to reverse this crisis.
Housing is a human right and we need to make opportunities, like those available to my grandparents, available to everyone.
LOVE OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
As an elementary school teacher and church choir director, my parents instilled in me a love of learning and community service. I began volunteering as a teenager as an aid for the Castro Valley summer school, at my church, and as a tutor at the local library.
I graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College and returned to San Leandro to teach English at Bishop O’Dowd—my alma mater!
Teaching during the pandemic was challenging. My world turned upside-down in the wake of not only COVID, but George Floyd’s murder, January 6th, mass shootings, and the impacts of the climate crisis on our day-to-day lives. Along with my students, I struggled to make sense of it all.
It broke my heart to think I could give my students novels and poetry, but I couldn’t give them a more just and equitable world.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND JUSTICE
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, many of us watched the video of a San Leandro police officer killing Steven Taylor, a 33-year-old father and San Leandro High graduate.
I marched with hundreds of San Leandrans, including many of the students I had taught over the years. I saw their pain and passion, and was proud to see them stepping up to fight these injustices.
I joined Justice 4 Steven Taylor, a grassroots community group, and recognized a broad and deep demand for a more transparent and accountable police department. Working with local resident Bob Bailey and Steven Taylor’s grandmother Addie Kitchen, I founded San Leandro for Accountability, Transparency, and Equity and built a diverse coalition of hundreds of residents and organizations to campaign for police oversight. In April, with the help of the coalition, city council, city staff, and the cooperation of Chief Pridgen, the ordinance passed unanimously.
Over the years, I have worked with many Bay Area organizations which have deepened my commitment to justice and equality, including:
- The San Leandro Community Advisory Budget Task Force, Chair of Ad Hoc Committee on Establishing Budgetary Values
- Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, Associate
- Mount Tamalpais College (formerly Prison University Project), Professor
- East Bay Young Democrats, Secretary
- San Leandro Democratic Club
- Unity in the Community
PLATFORM
Here are just a few of the issues Celina is fighting for.
HOUSING
Housing is a human right. That is why Celina champion the creation of new housing units at all income levels, rent control and just cause eviction, and providing permanent supportive housing and wrap-around services for San Leandro’s 400+ homeless residents.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Everyone deserves safety. As a resident, Celina led the coalition to create community police oversight in San Leandro. Celina will guide the implementation of this program, create a comprehensive mental health crisis response, and ensure that the City is prepared to respond swiftly to COVID-19 and future pandemics, wildfire, and power outages. Celina will work to address the root causes of property crime and violent crime alongside the San Leandro Police Department and other city departments.
ENVIRONMENT AND BEAUTIFICATION
A healthy environment means a healthy community. As a member of the Sierra Club, Celina will push for a healthy environment by creating a Sustainability Commission to support the Office of Sustainability and prioritizing well-maintained, clean and tree-lined streets.
ENDORSEMENTS
Please email voteforcelina@gmail.com if you would like to endorse Celina!
ORGANIZATIONS
- Alameda County Democratic Central Committee
- The Sierra Club
- The Alameda Labor Council AFL-CIO
- San Leandro Democratic Club
- Alameda County Firefighters Local 55
- Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County
- IFPTE Local 21
- SEIU-UHW (United Healthcare Workers West)
- Equality California
- California Young Democrats
- East. Bay Young Democrats
- East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club
- Latine Young Democrats of the East Bay
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
- San Leandro City Councilmember Victor Aguilar
- San Leandro City Councilmember Corina Lopez
- San Leandro School Board President James Aguilar
- Assemblymember Alex Lee
- Hayward City Councilmember Aisha Wahab
- Berkeley City Councilmember Terry Taplin
- Alameda County Board of Education Trustee Aisha Knowles
- Alameda Health System Trustee Kinkini Banerjee
- Human Services Commissioner Nick Thorn-Sermeno
- Parks and Recreation Commissioner Gary Hana
- San Leandro School Board Trustee Monique Tate
- Jim Prola, Former San Leandro City Councilmember and Vice Mayor
COMMUNITY LEADERS*
- Patty Breslin, Founder of San Leandro 2050
- Xouhua Bowen, Founder of Community Impact Lab
- Brian Copeland, Actor and Comedian
- Bernard Ashcraft, Bay Area Business Roundtable
- Cynthia Chandler, Civil Rights Attorney
- Rebecca Day-Rodriguez, Chair of San Leandro Community Advisory Task Force
- Mitch Huitema
- Robert Rich, Housing Rights Advocate and San Leandro Resident
- Emily Rich, Retired Labor Lawyer and San Leandro Resident
- Marc Janowitz, Housing Rights Lawyer
- John Minot, Housing Rights Advocate
- Evan Adams, 1388 Bancroft Community Organizer
*Organizational names provided for identification purposes only.
HELP ELECT CELINA!
From displaying a yard sign to hitting the streets, there are lots of ways to get involved in our grassroots campaign! Drop your contact information below, and one of our volunteers will get in touch with you soon.
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ABOUT THE ELECTION
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Election Day
In San Leandro, all City Council members are elected at large (by all San Leandro residents). That means everyone in the City can #vote4celina!
District 1 extends from Bay-o-Vista to the San Leandro BART Station, also encompassing Old San Leandro, Estudillo Estates, and Assumption Parish. District 1 is the home of the San Leandro History Museum, Bancroft Middle School, McKinley Elementary School, Memorial Park and the Veterans Memorial Building, the San Leandro Hospital, dozens of thriving businesses in the Downtown—and more!
Paid for by Celina Reynes for San Leandro City Council, FPPC #1439254
Celina Reynes 