Biography: I am a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, moved to Fremont in 1995 with my husband Lee. We have two adult children. I have worked over ten years as a digital design chip engineer, ran a green gift business “Kate’s Caring Gifts” also for over ten years, then dabbled in data science. Now I am retired. My focus is fully on community work and activism now, starting with leadership of the Crippsmas Place event in my neighborhood since 2005, Fremont For Everyone since last year, and now I am also Publicity for the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Candidate Goals:
I am a devout Humanist who believes strongly that healthcare and housing are human rights. My goals are activism and advocacy:
1) ACTIVISM & DIRECT AID: This year with the camping ban my priority shifted more to direct advocacy and aid for our unhoused neighbors. I learned a lot from Coalition of Caring partner HERO Tent on how to do this work - the communication tools and fundraising/money handling.
2) PARTNERSHIP & ADVOCACY: I intend to continue to both work with and keep an eye on our local government to work on effective and compassionate housing solutions, while vehemently opposing criminalization of the poor. Also I plan for more communication to our Coalition of Caring partners, progress on a local screening of myth-busting movies like “Beyond the Bridge”, and pushing hard for Safe RV Parking lots here in Fremont.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Assembled the Coalition of Caring allies with Priya Talreja and David Bonaccorsi, I updated the website to include our campaign opposing the criminalization of the unhoused.
Coordinated the March 15th Aiding & Abetting Barbecue Celebration and Support of our unhoused neighbors at both the southern “Slabs” encampment and the Quarry Lakes encampment in the north. Near weekly aid outreach with Fremont Organizing activists like Isaiah.
Attending many city council meetings and other coalition partner meetings, led our local contingent for YIMBY Lobby Day.
Infrastructure/Tech: Put fundraising account in place, handled hybrid membership meetings, website updates, and sent most of the e-mails.
Annie Koruga
Hi, my name is Annie! I’ve lived here in Fremont for more than a decade, and I’ve been with Fremont For Everyone since the beginning. Back in 2019, I was the tabling lead for our campaign to win the Housing Navigation Center. I turned people out, made plans, saw the need for this organizing work, and saw the power of us turning out to win. Since then, I’ve had many other organizing experiences: organizing electorally and around issues, for many different things from anti-homophobia to safe parking.
My organizing experience is very varied which means that I’ve practiced a diversity of tactics and have a unique skill set. I know how to mobilize people, how to strategize, how to build coalitions, how to coordinate, and how to build consensus.
My three priorities are:
ONE: re-engaging people who have previously been involved, to build our base and our power. We learned that when we fight, we win, but we need a lot of people to fight. We need to re-engage our contacts on our contact list and in our Facebook Group.
TWO: we need to get new people involved, through building out our social media presence and exciting people by running campaigns. Usually new people engage when there’s a reason to, like when a campaign is going on.
THREE: I want to apply the lessons we’ve learned from previous campaigns to wage and win future ones. We’ve learned how to win, now we need to do it again. I want to, in time, run campaigns for things like more navigation centers, more safe parking, more affordable housing, and increased funding for unhoused support services. I also want to fight for things that prevent people from becoming unhoused in the first place like higher wages and reasonable rents whenever possible. Finally, I want to directly engage with community members through mutual aid, community education, and organizing tenants. Re-engage, engage, and campaign with me!
Isaiah Zachariah
Biography: My name is Isaiah Zachariah (or Izzy for short) and I’m a lifelong Fremont resident, art teacher, graphic designer and lead volunteer helping organize Fremont for Everyone’s Outreach Group.
Candidate Goals: My main goals are:
To materially support residents who are unhoused in our neighborhoods with needed resources to survive and sustainably progress towards their own goals, and when needed, to help them connect to additional resources to aid them and their families.
To continually build bridges of understanding in the community between neighbors both unhoused and housed, so that awareness can be raised about the housing crisis and infringement by all levels of government on the human rights of those who are unsheltered.
To advocate for policies and best practices that: center the voices of neighbors who are unhoused, protect the dignity and property of all community members, and create a much needed surge of a variety of truly affordable housing options to end this man-made crisis.
Bryan Tor
Biography: Fremont resident since 2023, and Bay Area local. Professional software engineer. Public records advocate in personal capacity.
Candidate Goals: I have served on the leadership teams of three collegiate professional development groups, and have helped organize multiple events ranging from a hundred to over one thousand attendees. In reflection of these experiences, my goal in joining FFE leadership would be to support the monthly meetings and day-to-day logistics to empower FFE members in our advocacy for housing and the unhoused. This would be investing in audio-visual equipment for our monthly meetings, organizing formal subcommittees to assist members in existing advocacy activities as well as with creating new opportunities for member engagement. By expanding the organizational capacity of FFE with these actions, I believe that as a group we will be better positioned to empower the ability of our membership to advocate and aid in our mission.
Grace Shepherd
Biography: I lead through experience. I have been blessed with many challenges from which I gained much understanding of so many of the things that we are battling right now. Such as homelessness, being the victim of a slumlord, fighting back and winning, and just being thrown around by the system in general. I am dedicated to helping others through hard, seemingly impossible circumstances, and I want to see an overhaul of the policies that leave our support systems broken and our rights at risk!
Candidate Goals:
I want to see F.F.E grow and expand to reach more of those in need and to get more involved with some national groups such as no kings, that align with our goals. Because we are not alone here in Fremont battling these issues. It is a nationwide war on our rights and freedoms! And I want F.F.E to be part of the loud answering to that threat! I'm dedicated, passionate and we will persevere! ✊️
Rachael Kuhne
Biography: coming soon
Candidate Goals:
Jenna Daugherty
Hello everyone!!!! My name is Jenna. I’m a lifelong resident of Fremont who was brought into Fremont For Everyone back in 2019 during the HNC town halls and now 5 years later I am running to be re-elected to my third term for Fremont For Everyone leadership. I sat back and observed for the first couple months of my first year to learn the ropes and quickly jumped in as Communications Director, I figured with my background in theater, choir, and broadcasting I could bring my people skills as well as my communication skills to the role as my way to contribute in a positive manner to the organization. Now with two years under my belt I feel a lot more experienced and can take my role as Communications Director to the next level, hopefully with your vote I can have the opportunity to do bigger and better things for Fremont For Everyone and in turn the City of Fremont!
Atharva Sonune
Biography: My name is Atharva, and I’ve been a Fremont resident for over 10 years, and have had the opportunity to grow alongside the city for that time. I previously covered FFE as a journalist for my school newspaper, focusing on the housing ordinance and its impact on local communities, and have been interested in the organization since. As someone who’s been through all the stages of Fremont’s education system (elementary, middle, and high school) and is currently attending Ohlone College, I hope to bring a unique perspective to Fremont For Everyone.
Candidate Goals:
I’ve come to recognize the power that effective communication channels can have on an organization’s success, and I aspire to establish Fremont For Everyone as a household name through strategic publicity, social media engagement, and community awareness.
Accessibility to the organization is something I hope to improve upon during my term. As a student, I hadn’t heard of Fremont For Everyone until covering it for my article on the housing ordinance, and I aspire to change that through my leadership.
FFE is undoubtedly one of the major pillars keeping many afloat during these trying times, and it will be my foremost mission to make sure FFE keeps advocating for the most vulnerable and continues to work with partner organizations to ensure an equitable living experience for all in Fremont.