My roots in this neighborhood run deep. From growing up on the North Oakland border through college to living in the Triangle for two years and now Emery Bay Village for the last six, I’ve seen our city evolve firsthand. My parents still live in my childhood home just two blocks across the border. I visit them at least once a week, which keeps me very aware of the cross-border issues affecting our North Oakland and Emeryville neighborhoods. As active members of the Emeryville Senior Center, my parents also remind me every day of the immense value our city programs provide to our elderly population.

I’ve called our 94608 community home for three-quarters of my life. My parents moved us here when I was just 2 years old—just in time for the Loma Prieta earthquake to hit on my third birthday! (I told my dad I didn’t want to have any more birthdays because I thought the earthquake would come back).

Emeryville is a unique, vibrant city. Where else can you buy a cowboy hat, build-it-yourself furniture, Japanese snacks, and high-end beauty products within a 15 minute walk? I applaud the bicycle, pedestrian, and traffic-calming improvements our city has made in recent years—such as the Horton Street diverter, raised bike lanes on 53rd and Horton, and enhancements along Adeline and the Emeryville Greenway. And while Emeryville leads many Bay Area cities in meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals, we must continue to build thoughtfully.