On June 17, 2024, Leanna Louie, a candidate for the Board of Directors of the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), held her first fundraising dinner with the support of hundreds of attendees. The fundraising event took place at the Taste of Fusion restaurant in San Francisco with distinguished guests, including the President of the Constitutional Police Association, the Deputy Mayor of Chinese descent, as well as several candidates running for city council, school district education board, and sheriff positions.
Leanna Louie, a veteran born in a rural village in China, relocated to the United States and received her education in public schools and the city college of San Francisco. At the age of 18, she joined the military and served for 11 years before working as an administrative analyst at the Sacramento Fire Department, managing emergency medical service bills and budgets. In her candidacy, she aims to use her experience and skills to address the school’s financial crisis and increase enrollment rates.
During the dinner, Ms. Louie spoke about her 18-year-old son, who is also a student at the city college, as one of the reasons for her dedication to the institution. She stressed the importance of budget management in schools, emphasizing that “students are our next generation and must be placed above all ideologies.”
She pointed out that although the City College is “free,” the enrollment has dropped from over 90,000 to less than 30,000. While gathering signatures for her petition, she found that many people were unaware that the college offers vocational training in fields such as plumbing, electrical work, nursing, aviation, and construction. Some expressed regret, saying, “If we had known about these courses earlier, we wouldn’t be living month to month waiting for a paycheck.”
Ms. Louie urged the board of directors to actively engage with high schools to make more students aware of and utilize these educational resources. She promised that if elected, she would strive to communicate and collaborate with various parties within the campus to provide students with more educational and job opportunities.
Tommy Tang, Vice Chairman of the Union City Housing Policy Improvement Committee, came to support Ms. Louie, praising her good interpersonal skills and public dedication, believing that with her accumulated experience, she will “surely find a way” to rescue the school’s financial crisis and work for the benefit of the public.
Jeff Wang, Vice Mayor of Union City, was also among the guests showing support. As a Chinese-American, he noted the significant number of Asian and Chinese residents in San Francisco but expressed concern that there are “too few Chinese participating in politics.” He hoped to see more Asian and Chinese representation in politics to voice their “culture” and “opinions.”
He emphasized the importance of education and the significance of the city college board of directors, stating that not all students pursue university education; some require special education or knowledge reserves for higher education. Therefore, he envisioned individuals knowledgeable about education and budget allocation serving on the board to ensure that “all the funds can be utilized for the students.”
Mayor Wang described Ms. Louie as passionate, genuine, willing to listen and convey various voices, committed to solving budget issues, and maintaining transparency. He observed her outstanding performance in running for city council and participating in the recall of school district board members, making her, in his view, the ideal choice for the City College of San Francisco Board of Directors.