Daniel Landry

• Office: Community College Board
• Election Date: November 3, 2026
• Candidate: Daniel Landry
• Due Date: July 1, 2026
• Printable Version

Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the November 3, 2026 election! GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous city delivered via common sense solutions and effective government. Our work includes running public opinion polls to understand what voters want, advocating for those changes, and ensuring that the SF government represents the people.

The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco.

This questionnaire will be published on growsf.org, and so we hope that you use this opportunity to communicate with voters.

Please complete this questionnaire by July 1, 2026 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.

Note: This questionnaire will use the initialism “CCSF” when referring to the Community College of San Francisco.

• Goals
• Executive Leadership
• The Issues
• Personal
• Thank you

Goals

We’d like to get some details about your high-level goals and how you intend to use your elected office to achieve them. The Community College Board of Trustees have three major responsibilities as the governing body of CCSF: (1) hiring, evaluating, and holding the Chancellor accountable to achieving CCSF’s mission, (2) ensuring fiscal solvency and long term institutional sustainability, and (3) setting policy, mission, and strategic direction that makes CCSF a valued community institution.

What do you believe is your most relevant experience, perspective(s), or idea(s) that makes you uniquely qualified to be an effective Trustee?

I have been involved in working with and in tandem with organizations for over 33 years. I have a significant amount of time invested in finding common ground while engaging in complex issues. As a graduate with an A.A. degree in Communications Studies at City College, I think I will bring exactly what is needed to ensure CCSF’s Board of Trustees work together and be more transparent and use sound organizational communication to establish policies and implement resolutions.

How do you intend to use your experience to make CCSF stronger?

The City College Board of Trustees needs someone just like me who has been working within city government for years and understands the challenges we face and how to overcome them. For example, in my experiences I have been able to always use a commonsense approach toward solutions that creates an environment that helps people and organizations thrive.

My years of attending CCSF as a student, and collaborating closely with staff, gives me insight on the needs and support that will make CCSF much stronger.

Please name 1-3 goals you have for your term as Trustee. Will the power of the office of the Board of Trustees be enough to achieve these goals?

My three goals consist of the following: 1). To increase students enrollment at CCSF. 2). To ensure that we protect CCSF’s accreditation. 3). To support DEI Diversity Equality & Inclusion the policy for all students and teachers.

What is an existing Board of Trustees, or CCSF policy, you would like to reform?

The powers and duties of the CCSF Board of Trustees recommended by their ad hoc committee back in 2025.

What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could?

The current state funding formula that is impacting CCSF accreditation dearly from the continuation of students' low enrollment.

For the purpose of this question, you are not constrained to the office of the Board of Trustees.

Executive Leadership

Please describe your experience running or governing large organizations, managing teams (including hiring, firing, and performance management), driving cultural change and clear communication throughout all levels, effective financial management (budgets, reporting, audit, etc.), and any other relevant experience you will bring to this office. One of the most critical roles for the Board of Trustees is to hire/fire, evaluate, and hold accountable the Chancellor. Please describe your experience working with an executive leader to hold them accountable. Note: Please remember that this questionnaire will be public, so do not include any personally identifiable information. In general, how do you approach making difficult decisions that you deem necessary even if unpopular?

As a Board Member for years with a housing corporation I sat over a budget of 2.5 million dollars, and I have had the experience to select and hiring management companies, property security agencies, and janitorial and landscaping companies.

Apart from my duties was ensuring personnel people in executive positions would be held accountable. Each director were evaluated on an annual basis based on his or her performance, which was mandatory as a condition of our working agreements.

My approach is that we should always seek empirical data from all sides for opposing parties before we make any critical decisions. The goal I believe one should always seek is consensus first before acting as just the majority.

Please share a relevant example, if applicable.

The Issues

Next, we will cover the issues that voters tell us they care about. We hope to gain a better understanding of your policy positions, and we hope that you use this opportunity to communicate with voters. Please describe the current budget allocation of CCSF. CCSF has faced repeated fiscal instability. What do you see as the structural drivers of CCSF’s financial challenges?

The biggest financial challenges CCSF currently faces are the possible deeper financial cuts if the enrollment does not increase and the State funding formula does not change. Although CCSF saw a temporary surplus in 2024/25 of 9 million dollars the reality is the structural problems continue to be vulnerable due to enrollment declines CCSF accreditation will be again in jeopardy.

And what will you do, as Trustee, to ensure CCSF moves toward long-term fiscal sustainability?

I will monitor the student enrollment, the courses, and the administrative cost and operational budget.

San Francisco’s economy and the workforce landscape is changing. What new, existing, or re-imagined programs do you believe CCSF should prioritize over the next four years to ensure its students are getting a valuable education?

I think CCSF should put more emphasis in vocational programs and prioritize partnership with streamline employment opportunities city government agencies like San Francisco OWED Office of Workforce Economic Development.

How should the Board evaluate and hold the Chancellor accountable?

Well, first the standardized way a Chancellor should be held accountable is by ensuring performance is in harmony with our Board of Trustees goals and objectives of CCSF are obtain As Trustees we should consider students and teachers feedback, program performance, and learning outcomes.

Please name one or two measurable performance expectations you would prioritize. Imagine that State funding for CCSF declines unexpectedly, and CCSF faces a significant mid-year budget gap. You must choose between: reducing course offerings, drawing down reserves, delaying new hiring or compensation increases, cutting or consolidating low-enrollment programs, and more.

With a total current enrollment of 60,000 students it is always to look at what decision you make will have the least long-term negative effect. For example, I looked at the past Covid 19 pandemic as an excellent time for CCSF to reset its programs being offered versus it is student enrollments and ongoing participation. I will prioritize recruitment for an increase in student enrolments and fiscal responsibility.

How would you approach this decision?

I believe in making any decision regarding an educational institution the students interest must always come first.

What data would you require, and what principles would guide your vote?

Factual data which should be in-depth information along with using the principles will your decision be in the best interest for all and evaluating the pros and cons.

Personal

Personally, tell us a bit about yourself! What is your professional background?

I am currently attending San Jose State University registered for a new online program, and I am also taking classes at San Francisco State University - seeking to further my education and a Pre-Law Certificate. Personally, I have worked many jobs in the past from being a retail salesperson, to even security crossing guard for SFMTA. In the early 1990s is when I started to become an advocate and during more activist work, creating a youth basketball program in 1994, and a Teacher Assistant for SF Educational Services in 1996.

Are you currently or formerly enrolled at City College, and/or do you have any children who are currently or formerly enrolled at City College?

I recently graduated from CCSF with three degrees and a high-honors GPA. In addition, I was appointed the president of the CCSF’s Black Student Union this past spring semester of 2026.

How long have you lived in San Francisco?

I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I have lived in San Francisco for 57 years. When I was young I wanted to be a San Franciscan historian. While taking classes at CCSF fellow students always seemed amazed when I would talk about San Francisco history.

What brought you here and what keeps you here?

My mother came to San Francisco in 1958 searching for opportunity. Although, like many African Americans she was displaced by urban renewal she was still able to overcome the hardships our family faced. For me I have visited many other cities throughout the United States, and there is no city like San Francisco. San Francisco is not only a world class city, but also a city that gives hope to the hopeless and it’s a city that I love.

What do you love most about San Francisco?

The people, the diversity, and the enlist opportunities our city provides.

What do you dislike the most about San Francisco?

High cost of living with no ending in sight which is pushing people out of San Francisco. In addition, the red tape within our government that stops our progress toward improving the quality of life for all San Franciscans.

Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.) Why do you want to run for public office? Thank you.

Currently I am a Board Member of a housing cooperative named MLK-MG Apartments. I founded and is the executive director Of a non-profit organization called the San Francisco CATS Academy. Inc. In addition, I co-founded the New Community Leadership Foundation NCLF. In 2008 I sat on the Restoration Advisory Board aka RAB community oversight for the US Navy that monitored the Bay View/Hunter Point Shipyard clean-up. In 2016, I was appointed to the San Francisco Planning Department’s - African American Historical Context Statement Taskforce, and in 2021 I was appointed by Supervisor Shammon Walton of District 10 to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s AARAC Taskforce.

I am running for public office because it is truly a passion of mine to be the voice for the voiceless and represent others to the best of my ability. Again, I have dedicated the last three decades of my life to improve the quality of life for San Franciscans. And therefore, I would be remiss in my duties to not enter this election and give San Francisco voters a choice to vote for one of their very own.

Thank you

Thank you for considering me as a CCSF Trustee candidate.

Daniel Landry

Candidate for Community College Board