Unlike most of her competitors in this crowded State Assembly race, Raquella Thaman grew up in the East Bay district.
Standing outside of Berkeley High School, where she formerly taught, and Washington Elementary, where she and two of her children attended, Thaman emphasized the need for policies that keep families like hers in the area for generations.
"I want to have a community that my kids can afford to live in and where they would want to stay and send their kids to school," she said.
Thaman currently works as an attorney with the Homeless Action Center, helping low-income residents navigate public benefits.
"People are looking for housing and there is nothing for people who don't make a lot of money," she said. "They have to live on the street."