Kevin E. Jenkins

Candidate for City Council Member, Oakland, District 6 · City Council President

Kevin Jenkins was born and raised in East Oakland, the son of two Oakland Unified School District employees, and graduated from Oakland High School. He attended Laney College and the College of Alameda before transferring to San Francisco State University, where he earned a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning, and later earned a Master's in Public Administration from California State University, East Bay. Before his 2022 election to the council, he was director of housing justice initiatives at United Way Bay Area, an elected member of the Peralta Community College District board of trustees, a commissioner with the Alameda County Public Health Commission, and president of the California Association of Black School Educators. He was elected to represent Oakland City Council District 6 in November 2022 and served as Council President and as the city's interim mayor in early 2025.

Jenkins has said the city needs to get back to doing basic services well, including housing unsheltered residents, filling potholes, and keeping fire stations open. He has identified gun violence and traffic safety as major concerns in District 6, and named deeply supportive housing as a big priority.

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