Introducing the San Francisco College Board Race
Eight San Franciscans, who all want to work on behalf of the college's students, are vying for the roles of City College's board of trustees on Election Day this year. Trustee Ruth Ferguson, appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie after former trustee Alan Wong became District 4 Supervisor last semester, will run uncontested for her seat.
Four seats, including Ferguson's, will be up on the ballot during the 2028 election period. This trustees race is the biggest field of hopeful trustees in most recent memory and is one shadowed by turnover, budget strain and open questions about the college's direction.
The seats are opening up as trustees Anita Martinez, Susan Solomon and Vick Chung leave the board, and are clearing the way for a new majority to weigh in on fiscal responsibility, the future of students and their experiences, and the fate of the Downtown Center. Aliya Chisti, Luis Zamora and Heather McCarthy will remain as trustees.
The Guardsman asked trustee hopefuls the same core questions, their definition of fiscal responsibility for a public institution, what they know about Free City, whether they've set foot in a City College classroom, and if they haven't, why they believe they're prepared to make consequential decisions on behalf of the community.
For those with direct ties to the college, they pushed further: what accountability looks like to them, in transparency, budget allocation and outreach, if elected. The candidates get to know the community they will pledge to support and make decisions for.
As we continue to report on this year's Ballot Beat, Guardsman reporters spoke to Leah LaCroix and Rome Moses Jones about their candidacy.
Read more of this year's Ballot Beat here.
Leah LaCroix
Board of trustees candidate wants the college to be able to meet the needs of every San Franciscan
Leah LaCroix is making her bid for the Community College board of trustees to find out where the budget is falling short.
LaCroix believes the 2024 accreditation crisis, where City College nearly lost its accreditation for noncompliance around financial planning and board governance, has left the board in a fearful posture.
“The college has been amassing so much in reserves, upwards of $70 million [over the past five years]. And so the money is there,” LaCroix said.
Rome Moses Jones
Board of trustees candidate speaks on his life growing up and shows his plans such as student housing, being transparent on promises as a trustee and his campaign.
Rome Moses Jones, co-executive director of nonprofit organization Bayview Association for Youth and a real estate agent at Pinpoint Building Group, grew up in “an underserved” community in the Bayview-Hunters Point. He is running for a seat at the trustees table for City College District with “strong family support.”
Jones acknowledges Free City as a great opportunity for San Francisco Residents to be able to start a new chapter of their life.“Because education is expensive,” Jones said. “I think this is a great launching pad to education, and when it’s free, it’s just one less barrier for someone to face.”
