Richard Raya

StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: help every child succeed in school and in life, cradle to career, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance.

This committee helps build the framework for the policy and advocacy work of GRACE/End Child Poverty California.

SPUR, the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, brings people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems our cities face. Also a member of the SPUR Equity Advisory Council.

Presented on the role that MEDA plays as a backbone agency for the Mission Promise Neighborhood collective impact initiative.

Moderated plenary discussion with Stacey Abrams at 10th annual StriveTogether conference in Washington D.C.

As a member of the Advisory Board, I provide support and expertise to the Participatory Budgeting Project. Participatory budgeting is a different way to manage public money, and to engage people in government. It is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. It enables taxpayers to work with government to make the budget decisions that affect their lives.

Served on the Finance Committee & Budget Working Group, followed by Co-Chair of the Policy Committee. TransForm is an award-winning advocacy nonprofit that has worked with coalition partners to help win over $8 billion dollars and ground-breaking policies in support of Bay Area public transportation, smart growth, affordable housing, and bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The Racial and Ethnic Equity Action Team activates work in our communities that centers racial and ethnic equity as part of our journey toward systems transformation and institutionalizing shifts in policies, resources, practices and power structures to improve outcomes for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian youth and families.

Work with fellow committee members to (1) prepare a three-year strategic investment plan for city services to youth; (2) solicit funding applications from private non-profit and public agencies through an open application process; and (3) submit the plan and independent evaluation reports to the Oakland City Council for adoption.

Moderated the Oakland mayoral candidates forum on August 21st in the Oakland City Council Chambers. The event was organized by #oakmtg social media civic engagement activists, and was the culmination of a series of twitter chats with each of the candidates for Oakland mayor. The event was broadcast live on KTOP Oakland Comcast Ch. 10/ Att Uverse Ch. 99 and re-aired periodically up until the election.

Read and scored 48 unique proposals totaling over $11 million worth of requested funding, focused on identifying innovative strategies for reducing adult recidivism in Alameda County. The purpose of the Innovations in Reentry grant program is to encourage and scale innovation for achieving the goals of the Alameda County Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee Realignment Plan.

Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skill development, college credits, and corporate internships. As a Business Communications guest instructor, Richard facilitated public speaking and business plan development classwork.

The Values-Based Leadership Program is a joint project of Oakland Rising, the Alameda Labor Council, and Working Partnerships. This four-day intensive training develops leaders who can collaborate across boundaries on a smart vision for improving lives of low- and moderate-income communities, immigrants, and people of color.