Meet Kristie Wang, Candidate For Livermore City Council District 4

LIVERMORE, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for running for Livermore mayor and and city council with identical questions. Here are the responses from Kristie Wang, a candidate for Livermore's City Council District 4.

Responses have not been edited.

1. What is your personal, educational, and professional background?

My background is in public policy, in which I’ve earned a bachelor’s from the University of Chicago and master’s from Harvard Kennedy School. I’ve spent most of my career as a policy advocate, working on issues like education, women and children’s health, and U.S. national security.

2. How long have you lived in Livermore?

My husband and I have lived in the Tri-Valley for 25 years, the last 18 in Livermore.

3. What brought you here?

My husband and I were living in Dublin with our two young children and experienced first-hand the rapid pace of development and its impact on quality of life. He was working at the Lab, and we liked Livermore for its tight-knit community, focus on families, and open space. We liked its community value of thoughtful, measured growth, so it was a logical step for us to move to Livermore.

4. How have you been involved in the community?

I volunteered with our schools and youth activities as my children grew up. I became an active member of several community organizations, such as Tri-Valley Haven, where I have been a volunteer advocate for more than 13 years. I also serve on the Board of the Tri-Valley Chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) and help organize the annual Juneteenth Festival at Bankhead Plaza. In 2018, I teamed up with two other Livermore moms to combat youth vaping by advocating for local policy to restrict the sale of vape products. Since 2020, I have served on Livermore School Board. I completed Leadership Livermore and Community Police Academy and currently serve on the Livermore Climate Action Team.

5. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing the city?

Livermore is in the final stages of completing its 20-year General Plan, making land use decisions and preparing for what’s to come in the next 20 years. We know we need more affordable housing, but we have to decide on location and density. We have infrastructure maintenance needs for things like roads, traffic signals, pipes, and buildings, and we have to figure out how to pay for them. Our city is bisected by I-580, one of the most congested corridors in the Bay Area. We have to ensure the forward progress of Valley Link to ease this congestion and improve our air quality, as well as implement our Climate Action Plan.

6. What are your plans for addressing them?

The next City Council will make the critical decisions that will impact the city for the next 20 years. I have attended most of the meetings of the General Plan Advisory Committee and have spent a lot of time in the community learning the issues and perspectives of the residents. I’ve had many meetings with experts, learning the legal and State obligations that we have to meet. If elected, I am prepared to hit the ground running to guide our decisionmaking and bring our community together to make the best choices for our future.

7. What makes you the best candidate?

This is a policymaking job, and I am the policy candidate. I currently serve as an elected School Board Member and understand well the role of an elected official. I am a policymaker who diligently learns and researches issues, communicates with stakeholders, and builds bridges between those who don’t initially agree. As an immigrant who grew up working in my family’s small business, I understand the challenges of those who have to work harder to make ends meet. Through my community activism and school board trustee work, I have built networks and connections that I can leverage to benefit our city.

8. Outside of politics, what do you enjoy doing?

I really enjoy our city’s many multicultural and arts festivals, as well as music and theater events. I attend as many as I can and even help plan some. I love food and enjoy the many wonderful restaurants and wineries in our city. It’s a real privilege to get to know the many creative and talented people who work hard to share their talents with our city and make this place their home.

9. Any other comments?

It has been a real privilege to serve on our School Board for the past four years. It’s a job I take seriously, and I work hard to solve problems and help make the best decisions we can. It would be an honor to serve on our City Council at this critical time. I hope to earn your vote.

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