The Citizen unanimously endorses appointed incumbent Paulina Gonzalez-Brito for the Area 2 seat on the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Board of Trustees.
During The Citizen’s Area 2 candidate forums held Monday, Gonzalez-Brito, who uses they/them and she/her pronouns, demonstrated that they have the knowledge and experience to serve PCCD for another four years.
Their opponent, Sinead Geneva Anderson, showed a strong passion for being an advocate for marginalized communities, but fell short of Gonzalez-Brito’s organizational skills and clear aptitude for accountability.
Don’t know where Area 2 is? Check out our guide to finding your trustee area.
How we felt about Gonzalez-Brito
Gonzalez-Brito is the current Board President and has served as Area 2 Trustee since March 2023. They are also the CEO of RISE Economy, a statewide coalition of community organizations focused on closing the “racial wealth gap.”
They clearly understood the role of a trustee in evaluating the district’s chancellor and representing the needs of their constituents. Their conduct and voting record during board meetings exemplifies the trustees’ role in asking tough questions and holding the chancellor accountable, even when that means voting against the grain of their fellow trustees.
Gonzalez-Brito referenced a time they voted “no” on an outgoing chancellor’s trip to China to establish a relationship with a contract education partner. They were one of two trustees to have opposed the costly trip.
“I think it shows my priorities in terms of really looking at how we’re spending our money,” Gonzalez-Brito said.
Gonzalez-Brito holds a deep understanding of Peralta’s most pressing issues including: facilities in disrepair, campus safety, and the upcoming shifts to the model that determines Peralta’s state funding.
Their answers were not flawless: with respect to facilities, Gonzalez-Brito missed an opportunity to speak about the need for transparency and accountability in the money going towards facilities. They also did not touch on ADA compliance or Title IX compliance.
Additionally, when asked about campus safety, Gonzalez-Brito missed an opportunity to demonstrate specific understanding of the Action Plan for Holistic Safety and Wellness that the board endorsed in June 2021.
When asked to reflect on a mistake made in the past, Gonzalez-Brito looked back on their record of asking difficult questions. While they don’t regret being vocal, they wished they had spent more time building relationships “to show that I’m coming from a good place.”
Gonzalez-Brito praised the work of The Citizen and committed themselves to being open and responsive to the media as well as their constituents. During the forum, Gonzalez-Brito also referenced multiple subjects that we have reported on, such as their “no” vote on the China trip, car break-ins at Laney, Form 700s, and improvements to shared governance.
While this shows that Gonzalez-Brito did their research before the forums, we are aware of the possibility they could be pandering to us by saying what we want to hear. This issue is inherent in any interview; candidates must demonstrate that they understand the issues relevant to Peralta, and we tend to report on the main issues relevant to Peralta.
Ultimately, we believe Gonzalez-Brito has demonstrated their fitness to serve on the PCCD Board of Trustees. We are confident that they have the competence, knowledge, and passion to drive the district forward.
Anderson: Heart in the right place, but not prepared
Sinead Geneva Anderson shared that she was born and raised in Area 2, and has been involved in programs that support marginalized youth, such as the East Oakland Youth Development Center. She is also a former Peralta student.
We appreciated Anderson’s passion, enthusiasm, and sincerity. We believe she has good intentions and the drive to serve her constituents. However, we feel that she is unprepared at this time to serve on the board.
Anderson demonstrated a clear understanding of Area 2, and knew more about the Peralta Community College District than the average person.
“When I did a poll around my area, many people did not know what a trustee is, and they also did not know that Peralta had them,” Anderson said. “They weren’t very clear on that role. And I went around explaining that it is the person who helps with the oversight of the district.”
However, she did not communicate a deep understanding of the main issues facing Peralta.
Members of our newsroom found her three priorities to be unclear and vague, and her responses to our questions about facilities, security, and the new funding formula fell flat. While we understand that these questions pose an inherent advantage to the incumbent, we feel that Anderson could have demonstrated her commitment to the district by researching its main challenges before the forum.
Anderson was initially nonresponsive to invitations sent via Facebook, U.S. mail, and email. She has yet to pick up the certified letter we sent to the P.O. box listed on her official candidacy paperwork, and she did not post a website or contact information on her paperwork. We finally heard from her on Sep. 17, six days before the forum.
During the forum, Anderson stated that she started her campaign “very late” due to her work over the summer as a facilitator for children affected by suicide. She told us Monday to give her website, sineadisperalta.com, “till tomorrow”; at time of writing, the domain name is registered but the website is not live.
Members of our newsroom empathized with her struggles of getting together a “grassroots campaign,” but were concerned that the lateness reflected a broader disorganization that would carry over into her tenure as trustee.
We enjoyed speaking with Anderson and liked her passion for serving marginalized communities, but felt that she is unprepared for the responsibilities of Peralta governance. This November, voters should place their trust in Gonzalez-Brito.