This cycle we have profiled a number of progressive candidates running at the local (city, county) level hoping to bring change close to home in their communities. We believe that profiling these candidates is no less important than profiling someone running for a national-level office, because progressive change starts with us, at home.

Katie Causey (she/her/hers) is a bisexual millennial community and tenant organizer and political activist who is a lifelong resident of Palo Alto, California currently running for city council. Among other issues in her platform, Katie believes in expanding housing access and protecting tenant rights, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting LGBTQ+ rights in Palo Alto. As someone who is passionate about expanding and promoting public transportation, and reducing car traffic, Katie herself does not own a car, and walks, bikes, and takes public transport to get where she needs to be. Katie also owns over 35 houseplants!

Where are you based?
Palo Alto, CA

What is your position/what position are you running for?
I’m running for Palo Alto City Council.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
-Hold Palo Alto’s first LGBT+ pride celebration, along with more cultural celebrations and build more community spaces.
-Build more homes, more affordable homes, pass renter protections, and invest in resources supporting neighbors who do not have a stable place to live.
-Make our streets safer so it’s more convenient to walk, bike, or take public transit — helping Palo Alto lead on addressing climate change by reducing carbon emissions.

What inspired you to run?
Working as a tenant organizer in our local nonprofits I’ve spent late nights looking for social workers for seniors days away from losing their home. I’ve sat with families as they debated if they should live in their car until their kids graduate from PAUSD (Palo Alto Unified School District). But I’ve also seen how hard Palo Alto neighbors will fight to keep our community together — how they’ll rally to ensure our seniors, teachers, and families aren’t forced to leave our community because our community has each others’ backs. It was working with our seniors and families close to having nowhere to live, that I decided to run for council to advocate for policies that help keep our community together.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
I’m hoping to bring a larger voice to working families in Palo Alto, this isn’t just the city where Mark Zuckerberg lives, it's a city where half the population rents, where a lot of seniors, teachers, and families are trying to make ends meet.

As a renter, a nonprofit worker, a young queer woman born and raised in Palo Alto, who doesn’t drive and relies on our cities public transit systems. Our council may make decisions around affordable housing, renter protections, and public transit — but it's rare to have a councilmember with extensive personal experience using those resources and helping community members navigate them.

Addressing the shortage of homes, I’m running after working as a tenant organizer, working with Palo Alto renters when they’re facing eviction or close to having nowhere to live. Having worked on the frontlines of the housing shortage I’ve seen how it’s tearing our community apart when our seniors, families, and teachers are pushed out of our community.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
Building more homes, more affordable homes, and passing renter protections. I bring a policy background focused on making it easier to build homes at all income levels and in my nonprofit work I’ve helped lay the foundation for renter protections in Palo Alto.

Safe streets: Dangerous roads prevent our neighbors from safely walking or biking, and narrow, cracked sidewalks make it even less safe for neighbors who use wheelchairs or mobility aids. Meanwhile, over 60% of Palo Alto’s greenhouse gas emissions come from cars. To meet our climate goals, we need to make our streets safer and more convenient to walk, bike, or take public transit. That starts with strengthening our bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure planning around high collision areas.

Celebrating Our Community: Palo Alto is a culturally diverse community with residents of all backgrounds from all over the globe. All our community members deserve to feel seen, safe and celebrated, but we do not always give our neighbors the opportunities to thrive. Especially during a time of rising loneliness, it’s more important than ever that we invest in spaces for community members to come together and opportunities to strengthen cultural bonds. Let’s create an LGBT+ Pride parade downtown, and have exciting festivities for celebrations such as Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Nowruz.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
What I love about local politics is it is a big unifying force, you might not agree with who your neighbor is voting for president, but everyone wants their neighborhood, to be safe, clean, and have good schools. I have seen first hand when a senior, a teacher, or a family in Palo Alto is close to being without a home, the community will unite to fight hard to ensure they can stay here. No one wants to see their kids, grandparents, or neighbors suddenly not have a place to call home.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?
As a young bi woman, a renter, a nonprofit worker, my life looks like a lot of Palo Altans, we have a lot of LGBT+ young people just starting out trying to build their lives in Palo Alto with a council that doesn’t reflect a lot of that lived experience of so many.

What is your motto in life?
Change begins with compassion and action.

Where can we find out more about you?
www.katiecauseyforcouncil.com Facebook Instagram X

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Katie Causey, Palo Alto, CA City Council