SF City College Board President Alan Wong Files Declaration of Candidacy for Reelection
November 9, 2023 (San Francisco) – On November 8, 2023, San Francisco City College Board President Alan Wong 王兆倫 filed his declaration of candidacy at the San Francisco Department of Elections to run for reelection for college board. Wong was elected to his first term on the college board in 2020 after receiving over 123,000 votes in the citywide election. In January 2023, he was selected by fellow college board members to serve in City College of San Francisco’s top leadership post as Board President.
Wong takes oath of office as he files his declaration of candidacy at the San Francisco Department of Elections
“I’m running for reelection to continue my work to ensure the college provides opportunities for people like my immigrant parents,” said Wong. “I want to make it easier for people to enroll in classes, get a job after finishing vocational training, and transfer to four-year colleges.”
“Board President Wong has fought to ensure that City College isn’t forgetting about the Asian community by advocating fo the Cantonese program and supporting classes that help give people good jobs,” said Tina Cen-Camarao 岑慧櫻, a San Francisco Sunset District-based senior realtor and accountant. “We need his leadership to ensure strong fiscal sustainability at the college.”
Wong’s family has a deep and long relationship with City College. When his father Jimmy immigrated to San Francisco, Jimmy attended the City College Culinary certificate program, which allowed Jimmy to become a Local 2 union hotel cook and sole provider for his family for two decades. The wages and healthcare that Wong’s father obtained enabled his family to afford tiny in-laws and live with dignity in San Francisco. Then, as a teenager, Wong himself took City College classes for free with a low-income tuition waiver. The City College units Wong earned helped him to graduate from UC San Diego at age 19.
As a City Hall legislative aide he successfully drafted and advanced the San Francisco legislation to guarantee a decade of Free City College for all San Francisco residents in 2019.
As a City College Board member, Wong has fought to strengthen the voice of the Asian American community. He fought to save City College’s Cantonese program to ensure that City College could teach the next generation of Cantonese speakers capable of serving the large immigrant Chinese community and providing language access to safety, social, and healthcare services. Wong worked with California Assemblymember Phil Ting to pass California Assembly Bill 264, which allowed community colleges to make Lunar New Year a paid school holiday. Wong also passed a college policy requiring the college to have mandatory budget updates at Board meetings and the creation of multi-year budget plans to strengthen fiscal oversight and sustainability at the college.
“I wholeheartedly recommend Alan Wong for City College Board,” said Hanley Chan 陳國慶. “His dedication to expanding educational access is evident through his legislative efforts to make City College free for all San Franciscans. As a veteran, former City College student, and small business owner, I believe Alan has the experience and commitment needed to lead the college effectively.”
“There has been a lack of elected Asian leadership in this city,” said Wong. “In my next term, I want to continue to champion the causes of the Asian community and get a seat at the table for all of us.”
Election day for the college board position will be on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
