CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. ______
RENAMING CONSTITUTION WAY TO WILMA CHAN WAY IN HONOR
OF ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERVISOR WILMA CHAN
WHEREAS, Wilma Chan was born in Boston to Chinese immigrant parents, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wellesley College, and a Master's degree in Education Policy from Stanford University; and
WHEREAS, in 1990, Wilma Chan became the first Asian American elected to the Oakland School Board, and in 1994, became the first Asian American elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors; and
WHEREAS, in 1996, Supervisor Wilma Chan helped create the Alameda Youth Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families (ACCYF), a mechanism for the City of Alameda, Alameda Unified School District, Alameda County, and youth -serving organizations to exchange information and ideas to enhance youth services in our community. Supervisor Chan co-chaired ACCYF which, for the last 25 years, met monthly to plan and implement activities and programs, including increased awar eness to youth mental health concerns, food security, and the "Everyone Counts" campaign to promote the 2020 Census. ACCYF also created Alameda's annual high school career and job fair, and summer internship programs, and established the Early Learning Co mmunity Network to provide activities and services for children ages 0-5 years; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, Supervisor Chan founded First 5 Alameda County, using funds generated by the passage of Proposition 10 which added fifty cents per pack of cigarettes, to create an innovative program of early intervention and enrichment activities to promote optimal health and development, and narrow disparities among children, based on research that shows that a child's brain develops most dramatically during the first five years of life; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Wilma Chan was elected to the California State Assembly where she became Majority Leader and served until she termed out in 2006. During her tenure, Assemblymember Chan authored groundbreaking legislation to phase o ut birth defect and cancer causing chemicals in California, implement a "no -lead" standard in drinking water pipes and fixtures, make California the first state to ban toxic flame retardants, end the practice of hospitals overcharging uninsured and underin sured patients, and make affordable health insurance available to 800,000 uninsured California children; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, Wilma Chan was again elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors where she continued her tireless advocacy for seniors, children, families, and immigrants, which included programs to advance children's health, help lift people out of povert y, and speaking out against violence toward people of Asian and Pacific Island heritage. In response to the COVID -19 pandemic, Supervisor Chan developed the Alameda County Communities Connect strategy to assist areas most impacted by the pandemic, and secured funding to provide stipends that allowed income- eligible residents diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-isolate; and
WHEREAS, Supervisor Wilma Chan faithfully served the residents of her district until her tragic death on November 3, 2021. On behalf of the City of Alameda, we extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Supervisor Wilma Chan for the immeasurable loss of this tireless champion, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend; and
WHEREAS, Wilma Chan was a trai lblazer, passionate leader, and role model to many, including Asian Americans and women, well known for her integrity, and as a fierce leader and staunch advocate, dedicated to ensuring that peoples' basic needs were met.
Her compassion, sense of communit y, and devotion to the people she served will be profoundly missed.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of Alameda, do es hereby approve renaming Constitution Way to Wilma Chan Way in recognition of the lasting contributions to our City and the residents of Alameda, of longtime dedicated public servant Wilma Chan, and does hereby direct City staff to implement the necessary steps to rename and re-sign Constitution Way.
* * * * * *
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the fore going Resolution was duly and regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a regular meeting assembled on this 15th day of February 2022, by the following vote to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said City this 16th day of February 2022.
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Lara Weisiger, City Clerk
City of Alameda
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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Yibin Shen, City Attorney
City of Alameda