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Elect Sarabjit Kaur Cheema to push Union City in the right direction.
About the Position
Incorporated cities in California are generally governed by a five-person city council. A city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. These bodies are often augmented by two additional seats held by a mayor and vice mayor. In most municipalities that use the mayor-council structured government, a mayor is elected at large and acts as the chair of the city council and the city’s chief executive. Typically, a mayor does not hold any special legislative power. In Union City, the mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of three consecutive terms.
About the District
Union City is Alameda County’s 9th most populous city, and has a population that is 54 percent Asian and 20 percent Latinx. Union City City Council oversees the needs of 69,516 people and manages an estimated budget of $119 million annually. Union City is managed by a mayor-council structured government. The mayor is elected to represent the city at large.
About the Race
There are three candidates running for this office, including the incumbent Carol Dutra-Vernaci and challenger Sarabjit Kaur Cheema. Challenger Cheema’s campaign has not taken any fundraising pledges and has not recorded any fundraising to date. On the most recent fundraising disclosure, her campaign’s only inclusion is a loan in the amount of $21,540. Dutra-Vernaci’s campaign has also not committed to any fundraising pledges and has recorded a total of just over $27,000 during this campaign cycle.
About the Candidate
Sarabjit Kaur Cheema, a New Haven Unified School District trustee and former transportation engineer, is from India and has lived in Union City since 1992. According to campaign materials, Cheema is running for election to establish Union City as more than a pass-through to other communities by building sustainability in transportation, housing, and economic policy.
Cheema’s priorities for Union City this term include expanding protected public lands, improving the local response to climate change, improving public safety, and involving young people in the political system through school-based partnerships. Cheema is particularly interested in improving the public transportation system in Union City, investing in bike and pedestrian thoroughfares, and avoiding further bisection of the city through highway development. Cheema is also committed to boosting the local economy to fund the city budget without increasing taxation for residents.
Cheema worked as a transportation engineer for 19 years, but began her career as an educator, working as a public school substitute teacher, college instructor, and in-school program facilitator. She has also served on school site councils and Parent Teacher Associations. She has been an elected New Haven Unified School District trustee since 2010. In that role, she works to balance the district budget and contribute to the development of responsible citizens. She is a longtime supporter of education initiatives, and has shown a consistent commitment to youth development in the Bay Area over the last 30 years.
Cheema is endorsed by some progressive groups in the district, including Our Revolution East Bay and the South Alameda County Young Democrats. According to our analysis, Cheema is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
Last updated: 2023-04-05Sarabjit Kaur Cheema
Elect Sarabjit Kaur Cheema to push Union City in the right direction.
About the Position
Elect Sarabjit Kaur Cheema to push Union City in the right direction.
About the Position
Incorporated cities in California are generally governed by a five-person city council. A city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. These bodies are often augmented by two additional seats held by a mayor and vice mayor. In most municipalities that use the mayor-council structured government, a mayor is elected at large and acts as the chair of the city council and the city’s chief executive. Typically, a mayor does not hold any special legislative power. In Union City, the mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of three consecutive terms.
About the District
Union City is Alameda County’s 9th most populous city, and has a population that is 54 percent Asian and 20 percent Latinx. Union City City Council oversees the needs of 69,516 people and manages an estimated budget of $119 million annually. Union City is managed by a mayor-council structured government. The mayor is elected to represent the city at large.
About the Race
There are three candidates running for this office, including the incumbent Carol Dutra-Vernaci and challenger Sarabjit Kaur Cheema. Challenger Cheema’s campaign has not taken any fundraising pledges and has not recorded any fundraising to date. On the most recent fundraising disclosure, her campaign’s only inclusion is a loan in the amount of $21,540. Dutra-Vernaci’s campaign has also not committed to any fundraising pledges and has recorded a total of just over $27,000 during this campaign cycle.
About the Candidate
Sarabjit Kaur Cheema, a New Haven Unified School District trustee and former transportation engineer, is from India and has lived in Union City since 1992. According to campaign materials, Cheema is running for election to establish Union City as more than a pass-through to other communities by building sustainability in transportation, housing, and economic policy.
Cheema’s priorities for Union City this term include expanding protected public lands, improving the local response to climate change, improving public safety, and involving young people in the political system through school-based partnerships. Cheema is particularly interested in improving the public transportation system in Union City, investing in bike and pedestrian thoroughfares, and avoiding further bisection of the city through highway development. Cheema is also committed to boosting the local economy to fund the city budget without increasing taxation for residents.
Cheema worked as a transportation engineer for 19 years, but began her career as an educator, working as a public school substitute teacher, college instructor, and in-school program facilitator. She has also served on school site councils and Parent Teacher Associations. She has been an elected New Haven Unified School District trustee since 2010. In that role, she works to balance the district budget and contribute to the development of responsible citizens. She is a longtime supporter of education initiatives, and has shown a consistent commitment to youth development in the Bay Area over the last 30 years.
Cheema is endorsed by some progressive groups in the district, including Our Revolution East Bay and the South Alameda County Young Democrats. According to our analysis, Cheema is the strongest choice for equitable and representative leadership in office.
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