Mayor's Profile
Jean Quan is the first woman and the first Asian American to be elected Mayor of Oakland. A woman of many firsts, she was the first Asian American woman elected to the Oakland School Board and to the Oakland City Council. She is the first Chinese American woman mayor of a major US City.
And always first for Jean are the people she serves. A 33-year Oakland resident, she has dedicated her life to making government work for people.
And always first for Jean are the people she serves. A 33-year Oakland resident, she has dedicated her life to making government work for people.
Mayor Quan Makes History
Oakland celebrates the inauguration of Jean Quan as Oakland's first woman and first Asian American mayor!
Long rooted in Oakland
Jean's family roots in Oakland date back to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when her great-grandfather, grandfather and his two brothers took the ferry across the Bay and became part of a new Oakland Chinatown.
Jean's family roots in Oakland date back to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when her great-grandfather, grandfather and his two brothers took the ferry across the Bay and became part of a new Oakland Chinatown.
Jean’s father died when she was five, and she was raised by a non-English-speaking mother. She received a scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she helped found Asian American Studies and worked to recruit poor and minority students.
Jean has been married to Dr. Floyd Huen for more than 40 years. They have a son and a daughter who attended Oakland public schools and went on to graduate from Princeton and Columbia University.
Serving the People of Oakland for More Than Two Decades
Since dipping a toe into Oakland politics in 1989—simply as a parent trying to save the schools’ music and arts programs—Jean has strived to make public institutions work for people. She served on the Oakland Board of Education for three terms, working with principals, parents, teachers and students to energize and improve public schools. She ran for City Council to bring this community-based, grassroots approach to marshal Oakland’s resources—and to improve the quality of life for all residents.
Moving Oakland Forward as a Councilmember
In her two-terms as a Council Member, Jean took on a leadership role and worked diligently on a wide range of issues.
Education
- Preserved and expanded education, recreation and after-school programs.
- Co-authored and passed Measure Q to stop the closure of library branches and services.
Public Safety
- Co-authored and passed Measure Y for Community Safety and Violence Prevention.
- Added new services for sexually exploited minors and victims of domestic violence.
- Organized and expanded Neighborhood Crime prevention programs and groups.
- Preserved fire services and authored legislation to restrict secondary units on narrow streets.
- Led community discussion and support to form the Wildfire Prevention District.
- Expand CORE (Citizens Organized to Respond to Emergencies) training.
- Worked with the community to close the crime-ridden Hillcrest Motel and to build senior housing on the site.
- Co-authored the Public Nuisance Ordinance to focus and coordinate City action against nuisance properties linked to crime.
- Passed Seismic Retrofit standards and funding assistance for Oakland homeowners.
Parks and Open Space
- Authored legislation to restore the View Ordinance and the Big Tree Registry.
- Obtained funding to purchase Castle Canyon and the Butters Canyon watershed as park open space.
- Increased funding for Sausal and Peralta creek preservation.
- Coordinated a long-term planning process for improvements in Shepherd Canyon, Joaquin Miller Park, Dimond and Brookdale parks.
- Worked with dog advocates to open the Joaquin Miller Dog Park.
- Participated in the citywide and regional effort to prevent a casino on Arrowhead Marsh.
Zero Waste
- Led City and regional efforts on Zero Waste sustainability goals
- Authored Food Ware Legislation to ban polystyrene (Styrofoam) food ware and to require biodegradable containers as they become affordable.
- Authored legislation to limit plastic bag use.
On the Oakland Board of Education—A Steadfast Advocate for Children
As a School Board member, Jean led far-reaching education reform efforts: restoring music and the arts, reducing class-size, instituting higher graduation standards and community service requirements, developing school-to-career programs, and modernizing playgrounds. She led campaign efforts for two facility bond measures totaling half a billion dollars and two parcel tax measures which provide over $14 million a year to classrooms.
Building Strong Regional, State and National Partnerships
Building Strong Regional, State and National Partnerships
Throughout her career, Jean has built strong partnerships to develop solutions that work for Oakland.
The Mayor is a member of the US Conference of Mayors, chairing their International Affairs Committee, and a member of the National League of Cities. Oakland is one of the few cities to have mayoral representation on both the state's Big 10 Cities and the California League of Cities. The Mayor also serves on the California League of Cities Board, chairs the California Local Government Commissions and is a member of the national Emerald Cities Collaborative, both cutting edge groups for urban green development. She continues to encourage investment and economic development in Oakland and the Port of Oakland: she co-hosted the 2011 and 2012 Mega Regional Conference with the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Oakland to encourage elected officials and business leaders from throughout Northern California to work together in supporting the export of California goods to China and other Asian countries.
As an Oakland School Board member, Jean was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Title 1 Committee, representing large urban schools. She is Chair-Emeritus of the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education and served on the Executive Committee of the Council of Great City Schools Executive Committee. As a National Kellogg Foundation Fellow, Jean traveled to cities throughout the United States and learned how cities partnered with their school districts to improve education.
Jean’s efforts on Oakland’s behalf extend to a variety of organizations:
- Chairs of the Chabot Space and Science Center.
- Serves on Board of the National Marcus Foster Educational Institute Board.
- Serves on Board of Safe Passages, a collaboration of county, school district and city organized to improve services that keep children safe and healthy.
- Represents Oakland on the League of California Cities and the National League of Cities.
- Serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Bay Area Governments.
- Chaired Stopwaste.org and the Alameda County Waste Management Authority.
- Helped establish Friends of Hibakusha, a nonprofit organization helping Japanese American atomic bomb survivors.
