Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Alameda

Lena Tam is a leader in health care, water and land use policy and Asian American civic participation.

Lena Tam is a founding elected board member of the City of Alameda Health Care District Board of Directors, where she governs Alameda Hospital as Board president. She was appointed in 2002, and later elected in November 2004, garnering the highest number of votes of any candidate running for local office in that election . Under Lena's leadership on the Health Care District Board, Alameda Hospital has turned around its financial operations to become a sustainable, viable and thriving hospital, moving from a nearly $14.7M deficit to a positive gain of $657,000 during her tenure. She has been an advocate for fiscal responsibility and high quality health care at Alameda Hospital. She remains committed to insuring open access to government, fiscal discipline, and improving the quality of life in Alameda through providing high quality services, building community partnerships, retaining and attracting good staff.

Lena Tam also served on the Alameda County Planning Commissioner from 2000-2005, utilizing her skills and experience in water and natural resources management to develop and enforce sound land use policies and programs for Alameda County. When Lena chaired the Commission, Alameda County certified its Housing Element to provide adequate workforce housing for its residents while preserving open space and historical landmarks. She has facilitated numerous community meetings as a commissioner to resolve concerns over traffic, noise, neighborhood preservation and economic development in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County.

Ms. Tam chaired the Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters and had served as a past president of the City of Alameda League of Women Voters and the East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium. Under Lena's leadership in these organizations, voter turnout and participation within the Asian-American community have increased through public education campaigns and collaborations with community groups in providing bilingual assistance during elections.

In 2005 Assemblymember Wilma Chan named Lena Tam as Woman of the Year for her community service. Ms. Tam also serves on the board of the National Women's Political Caucus, Save the Bay, and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. The Isle City Business & Professional Women's Association honored her with the 2000 Women of the Year award. In 2004, Girls' Inc. of the Island City honored Lena with the Citizen Advocacy Award.

Lena Tam earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco. She is a licensed civil engineer and has over 20 years of experience managing projects and programs for municipalities and special districts. She is currently employed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District as the Manager of Water Resources Planning.

She resides in Alameda, where her family has lived for over 35 years