Aysha Pamukcu
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Founding Team | 1.22 – Present | Just Transition Lawyering Institute & JT Lawyering Network Board of Directors | 4.20 – Present | Asian-Pacific Environmental Network Board of Directors | 2.18 – Present | Baby-Friendly USA Founding Advisory Board | 5.19 – 12.19 | Hive Fund for Gender & Climate Justice Founding Advisory Committee | 5.19 – 12.19 | Collective Futures Fund Asylum Attorney | 2.12 – 12.13 | Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Volunteer Deputy District Attorney| 10.12 – 1.13 | Santa Clara County DA’s Office Supreme Court Judicial Clerk | 1.11 - 11.11 | War Crimes Tribunal, Cambodia VP of Development | 8.09 - 8.10 | University of Southern CA Public Interest Law Foundation
HONORS & AWARDS
40 Under 40 in Minority Health |2022 | National Minority Quality Forum Fulcrum Fellow | 2018 – 2020 | Center for Community Investment 40 Under 40 in Public Health |2019 | de Beaumont Foundation Crispus Attucks Wright Award |2010| USC Law School
USC Center for Law, History, & Culture Graduate Fellow|2010| USC Law School Francisco C. Lopes Prize |2007|Stanford University
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Health Justice & Just Transition. Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics (forthcoming).
The Criminal Legal System: From Reform to Transformation. Petrie-Flom Center, Harvard University.
The Civil Rights of Health: Challenging Structural Inequality. UCLA Law Review.
The COVID-19 Policy Playbook: Volume 1 and Volume 2. Public Health Law Watch.
Using Anti-Racist Policy to Promote the Good Governance of Necessities. Petrie-Flom Center.
Anti-Racist Policy & Equitable Enforcement to Dismantle Discrimination. Public Health Newswire.
The Civil Rights of Health During a Global Pandemic. Law & Political Economy Project, Yale Law.
To Protect Public Health, We Must Address Housing. Partnership for the Bay’s Future.
Reflections from Puerto Rico: Lessons from Climate Justice Organizing. Women Donors Network.
To Learn, Students Need More Teachers, Not More Police, on Campus. San Francisco Chronicle.
Policy Caused the Epidemic of Trauma at Our Border & in our Communities. Medium. 10 Local Laws that May be Doing More Harm Than Good. Medium. 6 Federal Policies that Fall Short of Supporting Working Families. Medium.
Narrative for Aysha Pamukcu, SSF Planning Commission Application Why do you want to be a member of the Planning Commission? What do you feel you could contribute?
I believe in the power of community leadership to make our neighborhoods healthy, prosperous, and inclusive places to live. I am personally and professionally invested in a vibrant and thriving South San Francisco. As the Director of the Policy Fund at the San Francisco Foundation (which serves the whole region, including South City), I see every day how our housing crisis has affected virtually all aspects of life in the Bay Area and is rooted in longstanding issues of economic and racial inequality. But I see the good news too, which is that there are so many community champions working on solutions. My work focuses on bringing those most harmed by the ongoing crisis, especially people of color, and low-income people and families, into process of creating policy solutions. In this role as a regional grantmaker, I convene, educate, make policy recommendations, and form strategic partnerships -- skills which I would like to contribute to the Planning Commission.
On a personal note, I would like to give back to the community I call home. I am proudly from the Bay Area, having been born in Redwood City and raised in the Peninsula and South Bay, and now a resident of South City since 2014. My approach to the issues facing South San Franciscans is inspired by my family -- my mom is from the Philippines and my dad from Turkey. As immigrants who found promise and opportunity in the Bay Area, my parents instilled in me the importance of public service, particularly where you live, and particularly to uplift those who have less access to power and resources. I would like to bring this perspective and these values to the SSF Planning Commission.
What qualifies you for this appointment?
I am a South San Francisco resident who is very connected to my neighborhood and community, and proud to be raising my children here. I am also a lawyer by training and an advocate for communitypowered planning and policymaking. As the Policy Fund Director at the San Francisco Foundation, I lead a public-private partnership that helps communities develop and adopt equity-centered housing policies in a way that involves local leaders and maximizes community engagement. Our goal is to achieve an inclusive and equitable Bay Area. I work to strengthen a regional network of local leaders, including emergent leaders, government staff, and elected leaders, to make our communities vibrant places to live.
I have also spent the previous part of my career working for local nonprofits that focus on using planning and policy tools to improve life in our communities for all. At ChangeLab Solutions, I worked with government staff and electeds in using equitable laws and policies -- such as general plans and zoning decisions -- to improve health in their communities. I also worked as Economic Equity Counsel at the Greenlining Institute, where I worked on strategies to promote economic inclusion, such as greater community investment from local anchor institutions and increased access to homeownership for all.
These experiences, along with other local nonprofit leadership roles I have played, have given me firsthand insight into strategies to facilitate equitable growth and economic inclusion. I believe these skills and experiences would be of use to the Planning Commission and would like to leverage my time and expertise in service of my community.
What is your vision for growth in South San Francisco?
I believe that South San Francisco can and will continue to be the home to multi-national businesses alongside mom-and-pop shops. I believe we can welcome incoming knowledge workers while continuing to honor our city's blue-collar and immigrant roots. We are a proudly diverse city and our growth has to prioritize maintaining that.
My vision for growth in South City is rooted in the values of inclusion and equity. My vision is seeking a path to shared prosperity, finding planning and development solutions that serve everyone, not just the fortunate few. In prioritizing the needs of those who have the least resources and power, we actually craft solutions that are good for everyone. Equitable growth means ensuring diversity and affordability, and a South City that newcomers and longstanding residents alike can call home.