Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Pablo

My family moved to San Pablo in 1956 from North Richmond. I am a product of the West Contra Costa Unified School District having attended Verde and Riverside Elementary schools, Helms and Adams Junior High and Richmond High school. I was a student athlete at Contra Costa College and earned an athletic scholarship in football to California State University, Fresno. While attending the state university, I became involved in political activism around opposition to the Vietnam War. I was a co-founder of the Black Student Union. I worked as an iron worker in local #378 and served as job steward and apprenticeship instructor after earning a Vocational Education Credential from UC Berkeley. A back injury forced me to retire from construction work. I worked for nearly nine years with the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee serving as Coordinator of a youth leadership development program that focused non-violence and conscientious objection and opposition to military recruiting in high schools. As director of a community center with a non-profit housing developer, I served the low-income community by providing wrap-around social services at a public housing complex. While working full-time, I returned to college and graduated with honors with a BA in Government from California State University, Sacramento and a Master's in Political Science with honors from San Francisco State University.

I currently teach Political Science at Contra Costa College. I am a three-term council member and currently Vice-Mayor. My daughter Carmen McNeil has a five-year old son, Pharoah. My son Yusef has a five-year old son, Yusef, Jr. and a two-year daughter Marshela.

If I had to say one thing that represents my public service it would be that I want to serve as a steward for working people in the community.