Mina Diaz announces council run
Community advocate Mina Diaz announced over social media Friday morning that she is running for the District 3 seat on the Vallejo City Council this November, desiring to “bring a fresh voice to the council.”
“I am running for City Council because I would like to be a part of the decision making in our city,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “As a resident of Vallejo for over 36 years, I have seen our city in its greatest moments and in difficult times.
“Our city needs to be a place where everyone can feel safe. Where new businesses are attracted to come, establish and grow. We have a beautiful waterfront and our downtown is rich with history and a dynamic artist community,” she added in the same post. “I will be an advocate to bring more businesses to our city that will generate employment opportunities.”
This will be Diaz’s second attempt at the council after receiving 11,370 votes, or 11.68 percent of the vote, good for fifth place out of eight candidates, when she ran for an at-large council seat in 2016.
Since then, the council has changed to districtbased elections. The change created six different areas with a councilmember elected by the residents living in that particular area. The mayor continues to be elected from a city-wide vote.
The district map adopted by the council in July 2019 was crafted by a group of residents, including Diaz, former council candidate Latressa Wilson Alford, along with residents Tiffanee Jones, and Rhonda Renfro.
Diaz is the first to publicly announce a run at one of the new six districts. District 3 is situated in the south east area of the city, and includes the Glen Cove area.
Diaz further said it’s important for the council to promote growth on Mare Island and throughout town.
“It is also important for the decision makers to develop policies that ensures Mare Island’s growth attracts businesses that complement our city’s economy and attract businesses that will bring livable wage jobs,” she said. “New businesses should be welcomed to establish themselves and contribute to our city. It is important to generate tax dollars and invest them in bettering our streets, schools and many other things our city needs.”
Diaz, a retired employment specialist for Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department, founded Diaz and Loera Centro Latino. The non-profit organization has partnered with several organizations including the Vallejo City Unified School District, Solano County Mental Health, Vallejo Police Department and other groups.
“I am a community organizer, compassionate but also firm and strong, capable of making hard decisions that will benefit our city and community,” she added in her statement. “I want to make a difference in our city and as your representative on the City Council I will always vote according to the facts presented, the well-being of our city and its residents, never based on special interest or personal agendas.”