Jean Walsh (California)

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Jean Walsh

Nonpartisan

AC Transit District Board of Directors Ward 2

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

4

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Jean Walsh is a member of the AC Transit District Board of Directors in California, representing Ward 2. Walsh assumed office on January 4, 2021. Walsh's current term ends on January 8, 2029.

Walsh won re-election to the AC Transit District Board of Directors to represent Ward 2 in California outright after the general election on November 5, 2024, was canceled.

Biography

Jean Walsh earned a master's degree in urban planning after studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Alameda County, California (2024)

General election

The general election was canceled. Jean Walsh (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Walsh in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Alameda County, California (2020)

General election

General election for AC Transit District Board of Directors Ward 2

Jean Walsh defeated Greg Harper in the general election for AC Transit District Board of Directors Ward 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jean Walsh (Nonpartisan)	76.5	101,304
	Submit photo	Greg Harper (Nonpartisan)	23.2	30,770
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	422

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 132,496
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view Walsh's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jean Walsh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jean Walsh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Walsh's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jean Walsh lives in North Oakland and enjoys getting around on foot, bike, scooter, and public transit. She serves as the President of the Longfellow Community Association and holds a master's degree in Urban Planning from MIT. For ten years Jean led communications and public outreach for the City of San Francisco's Department of the Environment and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, promoting environmental initiatives and critical infrastructure programs. She takes pride in the award-winning Adopt a Drain program she created, which engages thousands of residents to get active in their communities. Recently, Jean directed community outreach for Ford GoBike/BayWheels and Lime, expanding bike and scooter sharing in the Bay Area and providing 500+ low income residents vital access to sustainable transportation options through a discounted pricing program. Building partnerships, listening to community concerns, and finding creative solutions is what made Jean successful. Jean has been on all sides of the table: advocacy, public sector, private sector. She knows how to get work done in large bureaucracies as well as tech startups and scrappy non-profits. Today, Jean is active with the Transbay Coalition, a grassroots advocacy group working to improve Bay Area public transportation. She recently completed the Emerge California Bootcamp, a training program for women who wish to run for political office.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• GOOD TRANSIT MAKES CITIES AND COMMUNITIES BETTER. -AC Transit is a critical, lifeline service that our community relies upon. -Abundant transit connects us with jobs, shopping, essential services, and is part of how we achieve affordable, equitable cities. -Transit reduces traffic congestion and pollution, and benefits even those who choose not to ride.
• BAY AREA RESIDENTS DESERVE ROBUST, RELIABLE, AND RESILIENT TRANSIT. -Transit should be frequent, fast, affordable, equitable, pleasant, and easy to use. -Transit is key to combating climate change and improving the environment. -We must make transit more competitive with driving to attract new riders
• NOW IS THE TIME FOR NEW ENERGY AND BOLD LEADERSHIP. -We have to make sure Bay Area transit not only survives the coronavirus crisis but comes out stronger and better. -We must ensure the health and safety of riders and workers and bring back ridership. -We need creativity and collaboration to achieve a seamless regional transportation network that serves everyone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jean is passionate about creating an affordable, reliable and robust public transit system. Bay Area residents deserve transit that is fast, frequent, affordable, pleasant, and easy to use. We need new energy to guide us out of the coronavirus crisis to a transportation system that is resilient, interconnected, and equitable.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Jean has made public service a central part of her life. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, empowering micro-entrepreneurs to start businesses and raising funds to rebuild homes for those displaced by an earthquake. In graduate school she co-founded Students for Labor Justice and later built broad coalitions with Fair Trade USA to promote sustainable products, policies and practices. Jean's Spanish fluency helps her engage with diverse groups of people.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

For ten years Jean led communications and public outreach for the City of San Francisco's Department of the Environment and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, promoting environmental initiatives and critical infrastructure programs. She takes pride in the award-winning Adopt a Drain program she created, which engages thousands of residents to get active in their communities.

Recently, Jean directed community outreach for Ford GoBike/BayWheels and Lime, expanding bike and scooter sharing in the Bay Area and providing 500+ low income residents vital access to sustainable transportation options through a discounted pricing program. Building partnerships, listening to community concerns, and finding creative solutions is what made Jean successful.

Jean has been on all sides of the table: advocacy, public sector, private sector. She knows how to get work done in large bureaucracies as well as tech startups and scrappy non-profits. Today, Jean is active with the Transbay Coalition, a grassroots advocacy group working to improve Bay Area public transportation. She is a graduate of the Emerge program for Democratic women who wish to run for office.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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