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A longtime East Bay resident who moved to Pleasanton more than a decade ago recently announced her bid to take over California’s 14th Congressional District seat, which represents most of the Tri-Valley.
Carin Elam, a lifelong Democrat, said she has what it takes to represent the district that spans from Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin westward to Castro Valley, Hayward and Union City and south to Fremont.
“With the Tri-Valley facing many challenges, including increases in health, home and auto premiums; fewer local jobs; strains on local industries; and an administration that’s creating stress instead of solving problems, I’m the best option to represent District 14,” Elam said in a statement to the Weekly.Â
According to her campaign website, Elam grew up in Antioch — as well as some other East Bay cities — and graduated from Antioch High School before going off to college in New York to study political economy. After college, she spent over 17 years working in business and information technology consulting where she worked with healthcare clients.
Then, after more than two decades, Elam went back to school to finish her master’s degree in international and European governance from Leiden University in the Netherlands. It was there that she worked for the Democratic party’s organization: Democrats Abroad.
“I’m a lifelong supporter of democratic values, having worked for Democrats Abroad and launching Women to Win, which promoted Democratic women running for U.S. House and U.S. Senate seats,” Elam told the Weekly.
According to her campaign website, Elam is running on a platform of wanting to create more bipartisanship solutions for the problems that every day Americans face. She also said that during these politically tense times, she wants to make sure people’s rights to vote and protest are protected.
“With a vision that prioritizes district needs and a commitment to transparency, Carin represents leadership that will seek to bridge the gap between constituents and congress because representation matters,” her campaign website states. “She truly understands that she works for the district. She understands that your tax dollars would pay her salary.”
Elam, who has lived in Pleasanton for 16 years, is running for several other reasons including wanting to address transportation deserts by improving the Bay Area’s public transportation infrastructure and wanting to support sustainable redevelopment by “creating tax incentives to encourage the repurposing and conversion of vacant business parks into affordable housing”.
According to her campaign website, Elam is also running on a platform advocating for affordable higher education, regulating artificial intelligence in schools and increasing voter turnout through more education around voting rights.
Other top priorities include addressing the affordability crisis, bringing in more jobs and local manufacturing to the district, and using that congressional seat to hold the current administration accountable.
“I will work with Congressional colleagues to push for the removal of king-like privileges, such as sweeping pardon powers,” Elam said in her campaign website. “A President, regardless of party, should not casually reverse judicial decisions.”
“My work and life experience gives me a unique perspective on the current situation,” Elam told the Weekly. “If given the opportunity, I’ll work tirelessly to improve the lives of all who live in District 14.”
Elam is now one of six candidates vying for the 14th Congressional District seat. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has long held that seat, is currently running for California governor.
For more information about Elam and her campaign, visit www.carinforcongress.com.
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