Interview Questions from Daily Cal reporter Amy Brooks

1. How are you trying to reach out to students and get their support?
   

I am running a non-traditional campaign based on building permanent links to community organizations such as student associations, housing associations and neighborhood associations. I also hope to organize through the creation of community victory gardens and local school tutoring programs. I plan to cover the traditional campaign bases, such as knocking on doors throughout the district, flyers, posters, debates, et cetera, but additionally I'll be inviting people to host block parties where they can meet their neighbors and organize around issues that directly impact their neighborhoods. Students, through housing associations, have an important role to play here and I'll be asking them to form new neighborhood assn's or join existing neighborhood assn's to make sure their concerns are also addressed. And though students are often too busy to get off campus, I believe they will appreciate that this is something different: real creative change through direct community involvement.

In addition to knocking on doors to introduce myself, throughout this process I'll be inviting people to host block parties where neighbors can meet neighbors, and form new building blocks for direct input into community governance. This campaign is built on a real and tangible difference from the removed, bureaucratic decision-making process Berkeley has experienced in the recent past.

In terms of direct contact, we are also using our personal relationships, as I and many of my supporters have contacts with a great number of UC students. I'm younger then the rest of the candidates running in this race.

2. What issues do you think are important to students?

I think all the issues are important to students. Cal students are active members of this educated metropolitan community. Cal and other students in this district come from all over the nation and the world. They bring their experiences and lessons from home, which we want them share with the city and each other. Their concerns are diverse but I believe what students respect most are real and intelligent responses to our many social problems..

3. With the presidential election occurring at the same time, do you think students will have a large impact on this election with an increase in turnout?

I think that this election will have a much greater turnout than any election in a long long time. Locally and globally our natural environment is going down the drain. The US economy is a steamboat with a seized engine, drifting to the edge of a waterfall. Unemployment is at critical levels and wages have stagnated. Fortunately America is waking up, and beginning to talk about some of these problems. This new national awareness will be the wind in the sails of progressive candidates. We have the opportunity to change our country for the better. I believe Obama and many other changemakers will sweep in this election. I hope to be among those helping us all build a better America and a better world. God bless us all because there is a lot of work that must get done, locally and nationally and globally, in the immediate future.

4. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

There are a great number of students in my district, and I am looking forward to meeting all of them. Our campaign is the only one that will offer direct, apolitical solutions to these issues. This is critical as so many of the problems we face can not be solved though politics as usual. I am excited to be bringing real change, and I'll be knocking on every door. Looking forward to meeting ya'll.

Sincerely,

Asa Dodsworth
(510) 868-8089
asa@asafor4.org