Dana King, recently retired anchor for CBS owned station KPIX, has announced she’s running for a seat on the Oakland City Council.
“I don’t come from (the political) world, but there are many parallels to journalism,” King told the Oakland Tribune. “I’ve spent 25 years figuring out what is the truth in a story. I think that’s pretty good training of what’s required of a city council member.”
King quit KIPX to become a full-time artist last year. She moved to Oakland in 2012 and said she started thinking about running for office after hearing council member Patricia Kernighan wasn’t running for re-election.
“I suppose I might be looked at as a carpetbagger, but I chose to move here because I want to be part of this exciting, vibrant community,” she said.
King said she will finalize her platform after meeting with district residents. Key issues will include police staffing, quality of life concerns such as tagging, and affordable development. “We have to recognize the historical aspect of this community and make sure that the people who spend their lives here don’t get pushed out,” she said.