The Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party and Movement has announced its endorsement of several candidates in local races in the upcoming election, including three candidates running for seats on the Hayward city council, Lacei Amodei, Nestor Castillo and Elisha Crader. Below run profiles of our endorsees.

Lacei Amodei and Elisha Crader are running as part of the Hayward Slate, a campaign for the local election which emphasizes accountability, compassion and integrity as values for its progressively minded candidates.

Lacei Amodei is a community organizer, a housing justice advocate and an aspiring attorney, she is running for a seat on the Hayward City Council because “Hayward residents deserve representation from those that know their stories and who have also lived their struggle.”

Lacei has been directly involved in community activism for fair housing since 2016 and has since helped in getting local tenant protection laws reformed. 

Elisha Crader was born and raised in Hayward and is dedicated to “serving her community as an ally in the fight for justice on all fronts.”

After graduating UCSB with a degree in Public Policy History, Elisha went to work for Centro Legal de la Raza as a housing rights advocate; she soon put her experience to work in her hometown, attending city council meetings to advocate for citizens’ rights. In the course of her activism, she met Lacei Amodei, who has since fostered her activist activities and run for city council.

For more information on Lacei Amodei, Elisha Crader and their campaigns for Hayward City Council, visit HaywardSlate.com.

Nestor Castillo is the son of immigrants from El Salvador and is a self-described organizer, lecturer and democratic socialist. After finishing his masters degree in Public Health at UCB, Nestor went to work as Bay Area coordinator for the anti-mining activist group Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES).

Shortly thereafter, he became a labor organizer for IFPTE Local 21 and SEIU Local 87 in San Francisco; since 2017, he’s served as Alameda County Public Health Committee chair.

“My experiences as a child of immigrants, a public health practitioner, an educator, and a community advocate has led me to serve my community in a new capacity,” says Nestor. “I am running for Hayward City Council because we need to confront the issues that are putting our future in danger and to bring forward a bold new vision for the good of all Hayward residents.”

For more on the Nestor Castillo for Hayward City Council campaign, visit Nestor4Hayward.com.