Mr. Eric Levitt
City Manager, City of Alameda
2263 Santa Clara Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501
January 8, 2022
Dear Mr. Levitt,
We write this letter to request the City of Alameda rename Constitution Way to "Wilma Chan Way" to honor our late mother Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan and her many contributions to the residents and community of Alameda. Our mother was a resident of Alameda for the past 27 years.
She loved Alameda for all that it had to offer including a safe neighborhood, great public education system and a true sense of community. Her love for the city was instilled in both my sister and I as I'm a graduate from both Lincoln Middle School and Alameda High School, and my sister and her family have been long time residents of the city. She was a true Alamedan and was proud to serve this community she called home. As a public servant, her service representing the people of Alameda on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and in the California State Assembly has left an extraordinary legacy in our community. A legacy that embodies Alameda's unofficial motto, "Everyone Belongs Here." She was a fierce leader and devoted champion for accessible and affordable health care, childcare, housing, immigrant rights, senior services, and ensuring people's basic needs were met. Over her decades-long career in public service, she was dedicated to advancing social and economic justice by uplifting the voices of those who are often unheard in decision-making spaces. This commitment to listening to the community and using their input to guide her policy-making decisions has led to the creation of numerous initiatives, programs, and legislation that have improved the quality of life throughout the City of Alameda, the County of Alameda, and the State of California.
A staunch advocate for uplifting children's issues and supporting youth and their families, our mom founded the Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families (ACCYF) in 1996 - a visionary partnership between Alameda County, City of Alameda, Alameda Unified School District, and Alameda's community-based organizations. This collaborative continues to launch new and innovative programs to benefit Alameda's children and their families. Over its 26 years, ACCY has developed and sustained numerous programs, including A Season for Nonviolence and the Alameda Youth Career and Job Fair. Most recently, our mom championed ACCY's work to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses to youth-serving providers and the establishment of a Mobile Family Resource Center van for children ages 0-5.
Additionally, she was the Board champion for the countywide Measure A1 housing bond passed in 2016, which allocated $9.3 million to the City of Alameda to build affordable rental housing. Since the bond's passage, nearly 3,000 total units and 1,000 permanent homes for the unhoused have been built countywide. Over 330 of these units have been built or are in construction in the City of Alameda, providing our low-income neighbors the opportunity to call our island home. Furthermore, $240,000 of Measure A1 home preservation funds have gone to households in Alameda and $512,000 in Measure A1 down payment assistance loans has gone towards purchasing homes in Alameda. These programs provide our low-income neighbors the opportunity to make the improvements necessary to keep their 1 homes a safe and healthy place to live and offer middle-income working households the opportunity to purchase their first home, respectively.
Her many other groundbreaking initiatives include:
• Founding First 5 Alameda County, an innovative public entity that supports a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves the lives of children from birth to age five and their families, whose headquarters are currently located in Alameda.
Launching ALL IN Alameda County, an initiative that calls upon the entire community to tackle barriers that prevent individuals and families from achieving financial self-sufficiency and upward mobility.
Launching ALL IN Alameda County's Recipe4Health initiative, an award-winning, integrative model for healthcare that addresses the social determinants of health (specifically food insecurity and social isolation) and chronic disease. • Authoring trailblazing bills in the Assembly, including one that implemented a no- lead standard in drinking water pipes and fixtures, another that made California the first state to ban toxic flame retardants, one to end the practice of hospitals overcharging uninsured and underinsured patients, and one to cover California's 800,000 uninsured children.
Over her nearly 30 years in public service, our mother fought and worked tirelessly to better the lives of thousands of Californians, Alameda County residents, and Alamedans until her last day. We can think of no better way to honor our mother's legacy and contributions than to rename Constitution Way to "Wilma Chan Way" so that people may remember her every time they enter and exit Alameda. We appreciate you taking this request into consideration.
Sincerely,
Daren Chan and Jennifer Chan