Supervisors finally fill District 2 seat
After controversy with the process, Márquez selected for board position
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has selected its newest supervisor — and avoided stoking controversy in the process.
After hearing hours of public comments in support of the four candidates Thursday, the supervisors chose to appoint Hayward City Councilmember Elisa Márquez to the board.
The selection process began Tuesday, when interviews of each candidate were conducted publicly. Early on, it was clear that Márquez and Teresa Keng, the vice mayor of Fremont and local business owner, had hearty support from the community.
“It's surreal,” Márquez said in an interview. “The biggest takeaway is that District 2 showed up in full force.”
Márquez, a lifelong resident of the district, will replace popular Supervisor Richard Valle, who died in February. During the public comment portion of the meeting, numerous labor advocates argued that Valle would have wanted the board to appoint a different candidate, Ariana Casanova, as his successor. Casanova moved to the district just six weeks ago, which some critics argued should have made her ineligible for the role. She was eliminated after the first vote.
Although Márquez may not have been handpicked by Valle, she said their approaches to government aren't so different.
“I think we're very similar; we care about working people, we care about the youth, we want to help people make better choices,” Márquez said. “I know there are a lot of things that we cared about equally.”
Márquez said she hopes to pick up where Valle left off.
She said she already has reached out to the other board members to get a better understanding of their districts and wants to examine any initiatives Valle may have left unfinished. She also hopes to bring his same calm demeanor to the Board of Supervisors.
Márquez said she aims to emphasize transparency and have more town meetings. She also wants to tone down divisive rhetoric and invite oneon-one conversations, referring to herself as an “open book.”
On her application, Márquez named housing affordability, safety and the