Bay Area Voice: Public financing opened the door for me. A state Senate bill can do that for others.

Bay Area Voice: Public financing opened the door for me. A state Senate bill can do that for others.

When I entered my new office at Berkeley City Hall after winning the mayoral election, I knew this wasn’t just a personal victory. It was a victory for anyone who ever thought, “I want to make a difference in my community, how can I afford to run for office?” I was elected as the youngest woman mayor in our city’s history, our first woman of color, and the first Asian American mayor of Berkeley. And I did it without personal wealth. What made it…