AD 18 Candidates Forum

Join the Oakland Area Chambers as we host a forum for candidates running for the vacancy in Assembly District 18. This forum will focus on economic development, job creation and quality of life in Oakland and the entire district.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATES:

VICTOR AGUILAR serves as the first openly gay City Council Member and Vice Mayor of San Leandro. During his tenure on city council, Victor championed progressive policies by passing hazard pay for grocery workers, a rent stabilization ordinance, and advocating for civilian police oversight. Like so many Californians, Victor has experienced housing and food insecurity, at one point receiving food stamps during the 2008 market collapse. This experience strengthened his conviction that healthcare and housing are human rights, and California should lead the way by building universal systems that protect everyone.

MIA BONTA has spent her career advocating for students and working families. After moving to Alameda more than 20 years ago, Mia worked for and led several nonprofit organizations focused on improving educational outcomes for low-income students. Mia currently serves as the CEO of Oakland Promise, a cradle-to-college and career preparation initiative across Oakland public schools. In 2018, Mia was elected to the Alameda Unified School District School Board, and she currently serves as Board President.

JANANI RAMACHANDRAN is an East Bay native and child of immigrant parents from a small town in south India. While relocating to India for a few years, she founded a nonprofit that built libraries in under-resourced schools in her local community. After graduating from Stanford University, Janani worked as a home-visiting case manager at a community health clinic, serving immigrant mothers experiencing domestic violence and homelessness. She recently worked as an attorney at Family Violence Appellate Project, pursuing legal appeals and advocacy efforts to improve access to justice for all survivors of abuse.

MALIA VELLA serves as Vice Mayor of Alameda, was first elected to the city council in November 2016. On Council, Malia has prioritized equity in policy decisions, addressing housing insecurity and ensuring a just economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. A former District Director for Assemblymember Bill Quirk, Malia has a policy and constituent services background.  Since 2013, she has worked as a policy director and attorney focusing on labor and employment law.  Malia is also an adjunct professor of practice at Mills College where she teaches ethical policy-making and an introductory class on economics and policy-making.