The Citizen’s endorsement for Peralta Community College District Trustee Area 5
October 5, 2026
On Sept. 23, The Citizen held a forum to interview candidates Sandra Weese and Cindi Reiss who are running for the Area 5 seat of the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees election this November. Immediately following the interviews, all members of The Citizen voted on whether we would endorse one candidate, both or neither.
A Note From the Co-Editors in Chief
Our staff writers and editors convened following the interviews to discuss the observations we had and conclusions we came to about both candidates. Both candidates were equally considered during the endorsement process. The Citizen staff deliberated over both candidates’ policy objectives, overall knowledge of the district and issues concerning it, in addition to their delivery of the answers.
The process of choosing which candidate to endorse or not was entirely democratic. No member of The Citizen had more say in our endorsement than another, and each staff member had the choice and opportunity to share their individual thoughts and observations. Below you will read the newsroom’s conclusions, written by our editors with all staff members’ thoughts taken into account.
Nathaniel Delgado and Ethan Dennerle | Co- Editors in Chief
Sandra Weese speaking to The Citizen’s editorial board on Sept. 23, 2026 on the Laney College campus in Oakland, CA. Weese is running for the Area 5 Board of Trustee seat. (Photo: Ivan Saravia)
Sandra Weese
Sandra Weese was the first interview of our Area 5 Trustee forum.
Weese, a prominent figure in labor across several states, highlighted that her time working for the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) influenced her decision to run for the Board of Trustees.
Both SEIU 1021 and Peralta Federation of Teachers have publicly endorsed Weese. The Alameda County Democratic Party also endorsed her.
In her interview with The Citizen, Weese stated that her top three priorities as a trustee, if elected, would be increasing enrollment, increasing funding and “protecting” student services “especially with any restructuring” – yet she did not elaborate on what any of this would look like.
Weese added that she would also prioritize recruiting and retaining “the best” faculty and staff across the four campuses, an answer we found confusing. The board must delegate the authority over human resources processes to the chancellor, according to district procedures.
When asked about her understanding of the district’s hybrid safety model and what improvements she would like to see at Peralta, Weese said that “if you’re going to have a private security firm that is armed, you have to be very careful about it. You have to make sure that accountability is built into it.”
While members of the newsroom appreciated her desire to have a thorough process for training armed officers, submitting crime reports and implementing an “oversight committee,” we felt that she did not display a fully accurate understanding of the hybrid model because some of the things she brought up are either already part of the model or never were.
According to Peralta’s hybrid safety plan, the district will hire several California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)-certified employees and will reduce the role of unarmed private security that has been in place since 2021. The new hybrid model calls for “armed officers” and not armed private security, and these officers would be considered part of a sworn law enforcement agency, not a private security force.
When asked how she would support the implementation of the upcoming merger of Laney College and Merritt College, Weese said that she does not believe that a “blank check should be written before any plans move forward” and wants to “make sure that there are credible cost estimates” to save the district money.
Weese did not discuss the reasons behind the merger, which is in the context of the district’s Transformation Plan, and spent most of her time referencing college identities and stating her own concerns, rather than articulating a clear understanding of what has happened so far and why.
The Citizen found our interview with Weese to be shorter than expected, as she only used 20 minutes of her allotted hour, with answers to our questions feeling rushed and lacking in substance. The newsroom felt that Weese had a clear opportunity to display a deeper understanding of the history and future of security at Peralta, the Transformation Plan, and the role of a trustee, but it was not shown in the interview.
Weese reiterated throughout the interview that she believes there needs to be accountability and transparency when reporting to the public as a trustee, a point that we really appreciated. Members of our newsroom agreed that she had great energy and her presence could be a fresh start for the Board of Trustees.
While we feel that she presented some interesting thoughts about how district operations could improve, like her comment about “recruiting and retaining the best faculty and staff.” The role she is poised to take on is more about policy and guidance.
Cindi Napoli Abella-Reiss speaking to The Citizen’s editorial board on Sept. 23, 2026 on the Laney College campus in Oakland, CA. Reiss is running for reelection for the Area 5 Board of Trustee seat. (Photo: Ivan Saravia)
Cindi Reiss
Cindi Reiss emphasized experience and stability during her interview with The Citizen. She is now seeking a third term as Area 5 trustee, drawing on what she said was roughly three decades in higher education and her experience in accreditation, teaching, and governance.
She explicitly said she did not expect to run again, which is something we found disconcerting. However, she wanted to complete the work started during her previous terms. When looking back, she remembers her term from 2018-2022 as a difficult time of “reconstruction and restoration.”
In 2019, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) report cited an “excessively high fiscal health risk,” and in 2021, an Alameda County Civil Grand Jury released a report stating that the board had “overstepped their roles, interfered with hiring processes, carried out backroom labor negotiations and exhibited a lack of civility towards each other and administrators.”
She said that she believes Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson is doing “rigorous and meticulous” work at Peralta, adding that the district is “fortunate at this particular point in time” and “that has not always been the case.”
Reiss demonstrated detailed knowledge of the district’s finances and facilities in her answers. She discussed deferred maintenance funding and questioned whether Peralta needs additional buildings given its enrollment numbers. Reiss said that the district will receive roughly $1.3 million in funding from the Physical Plant and Instructional Support (PPIS) program, which is support for deferred maintenance.
Following the comments, Reiss went on to praise the Chancellor and Deputy Chancellor/ Chief Operating Officer, Greg Nelson, for finding a “way to take unrestricted funds and reserve a portion of it every year to deal with facilities maintenance and deferral.”
Her other priorities are fiscal sustainability and the merger of Laney College and Merritt College into Oakland City College.
She said that her support for the merger includes preserving both the history, traditions, and cultural identity of Laney and Merritt, respectively. She highlighted the need to maintain safe, and welcoming campuses.
When asked about district safety, she stressed the importance of needing “to continue to make sure that as we’re implementing different stages of it, we’re verifying that it’s working, and we’re listening to the feedback that’s coming.” She recognized that, as a trustee, the board’s focus must remain on policy and oversight, rather than “drifting into micromanagement.”
We found her response to an open reflection question about a mistake she made during her tenure to be lacking in the specifics that we were looking for, although she acknowledged she has made “many mistakes” during her previous terms.
While discussing a previous trustee appointment, she expressed regret for, in part, allowing the board’s disagreements over the appointment to become “fodder for news outlets” but “knew she made the right decision” in her support for the appointee. Her answer did not provide the reflection that we hoped for.
Reiss admitted that The Citizen’s reporting has prompted the board to “act in terms of how we think, act in terms of how we occupy space, act in terms of how we are getting feedback or not getting feedback.” She referenced Board Policy 2210, which states that the President of the Board “serves as the Board’s official spokesperson,” and that’s why she was unable to provide comment at certain times in the past because of that policy.
Throughout the interview, Reiss presented herself as a source of stability who understands the district’s challenges. Her institutional knowledge was evident, and our newsroom felt her answers came across as genuine.
Verdict
The Citizen has chosen to endorse incumbent Cindi Reiss for the Area 5 seat – our vote was not unanimous, reflecting differences among staff over how to weigh her experience against the concerns that were raised during the interview.
Ultimately, we chose to place greater weight on the institutional knowledge and stability she offers during such a crucial transition period for Peralta. While we appreciated Weese’s emphasis on transparency and public accountability, she left us less confident in her understanding of the district’s existing plans and how she would carry out her priorities as trustee.
Those priorities mattered during our deliberations, especially given the concerns raised by Reiss’ answers about her own accountability. However, Reiss demonstrated knowledge and experience, combined with her more substantive answers, which gave us greater confidence in her ability to navigate the decisions that lie ahead.
With a permanent chancellor in place, we see value in maintaining continuity and a productive relationship between the board and district leadership. That stability gives the district a stronger foundation for carrying out its plans and addressing students’ needs, and it weighed heavily in our decision to endorse Reiss.
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