OAKLAND, Calif., March 8, 2023 – The Peralta Community College District has appointed Paulina Gonzalez-Brito (They/Them/Elle) as its Trustee for Area 2. Gonzalez-Brito was chosen at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees on March 7, the final stage in a deliberate and thorough two-month section process.

Gonzalez-Brito was appointed to fill the Area 2 seat that became vacant in January, when Kevin Jenkins became a member of the Oakland City Council. They are the Chief Executive Officer of the California Reinvestment Coalition, a non-profit that works to build an inclusive and fair economy that meets the needs of communities of color and low-income communities.  Gonzalez-Brito will serve the remainder of Jenkins’ original term, which extends through November 2024.

Image credit: California Reinvestment Coalition

After a rigorous screening process, the Board initially selected four strong candidates from that large, diverse pool, which drew 30 applicants from the Area 2 community. The Board then conducted in-depth interviews and narrowed the field to two extremely strong finalists.

The Board was initially deadlocked on selecting one of the two finalists and the District faced the prospect of filling the vacancy through a special election in November. That would have incurred a significant financial cost to the district as well as leaving Area 2 without a representative on the Board for nearly a year.

Following a regular board meeting and three special meetings, the Board of Trustees selected and subsequently affirmed Ms. Gonzalez-Brito by a 5-0 vote of the elected members, with Area 4 Trustee Nicky González Yuen abstaining. They will be sworn in at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, March 14th.

“We had two extraordinary finalists in Adrien Abuyen and Paulina Gonzalez-Brito. There was no wrong answer in a choice between those two individuals who are both proven community leaders,” said Dr. Jannett N. Jackson, Interim Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District. "I’m so glad that we were able to amicably end the deadlock and come together in support of candidate Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, and we welcome them into the Peralta family. My thanks to the Board of Trustees for completing a difficult process, as the selection saves the District hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary election expenses.”