About Lena Tam
First elected November 2022, Supervisor Tam serves as a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors – representing District 3 – with a strong commitment to transparency, equity, and accountability. The 3rd District includes the cities of Alameda, San Leandro, unincorporated San Lorenzo and Hayward Acres, and Oakland neighborhoods of San Antonio, Fruitvale, Little Saigon, and Chinatown.
Supervisor Tam is committed to restructuring of the County’s mental health delivery system to ensure that residents have equitable access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services, especially the most underserved populations in the County. Priorities include healthcare, employment, public safety, and issues surrounding women, children, and families.
Supervisor Tam serves on various standing board committees: Health, Social Services, Unincorporated Services, and PAL (Personnel, Administration, and Legislation). Supervisor Tam chairs the ALL-IN Steering Committee, continuing the groundbreaking “break the silos” effort started by the late Supervisor Wilma Chan by bringing together the County’s stakeholder organizations with the County departments to work across platforms to address basic needs, economic development, and quality education.
Supervisor Tam represents the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for numerous governing bodies, including the Alameda Alliance for Health, the San Francisco Bay Conservation Development Commission, AC-Oakland Community Action Partnership, East Bay Community Energy, First 5 Alameda County – Commission, Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), Oakland Airport Community Noise Management Authority, Youth Ventures JPA, and ABAG Gen Assembly.
Supervisor Tam brings to District 3 over 35 years of civic engagement, including serving as Vice Mayor on the City of Alameda’s city council, president of the Healthcare District Board, president of Alameda County’s Planning Commission, and Chair of the Alameda County League of Women Voters.
Supervisor Tam is the daughter of two first-generation Chinese immigrants and is now the guardian of her 90+-year-old mother. She plays the piano weekly to entertain the senior facility residents when she visits her mother.
Supervisor Tam earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley, in environmental engineering. Upon being elected, Supervisor Tam retired from her professional career as the Water Resources Planning Manager for over 30 years at East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). EBMUD serves 1.4 million people and developed the East Bay’s climate resilience, water conservation/recycling, and emergency action plans.