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Aliya Chisti
2020 - Present
2029
4
Aliya Chisti is a member of the San Francisco Community College Board in California. She assumed office on December 11, 2020. Her current term ends on January 8, 2029.
Chisti ran for re-election to the San Francisco Community College Board in California. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Chisti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Aliya Chisti was born in San Francisco, California. She earned a high school diploma from Lowell High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis, in 2010 and a master's degree in education policy from Columbia University in 2016. Chisti's career experience includes working as an education policy advisor and legislative aide.[1] As of 2024, she was affiliated with the California Working Families Party, SF Women's Political Committee, and PETA.[2]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in San Francisco, California (2024)
General election
General election for San Francisco Community College Board (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for San Francisco Community College Board on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Heather McCarty (Nonpartisan)  | 19.7 | 162,477 |
| ✔ |  | Aliya Chisti (Nonpartisan) | 18.2 | 149,638 |
| ✔ |  | Alan Wong (Nonpartisan) | 17.1 | 140,951 |
| ✔ | Luis Zamora (Nonpartisan) | 14.3 | 117,682 | |
| Ruth Ferguson (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 114,132 | ||
 | Leanna Louie (Nonpartisan) | 6.1 | 50,353 | |
| Ben Kaplan (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 49,320 | ||
 | Julio Ramos (Nonpartisan) | 4.7 | 38,741 | |
| Total votes: 823,294 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Paige Bailey (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
To view Chisti's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chisti in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in San Francisco, California (2020)
General election
General election for San Francisco Community College Board (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for San Francisco Community College Board on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Shanell Williams (Nonpartisan) | 18.0 | 195,356 |
| ✔ |  | Tom Temprano (Nonpartisan) | 17.2 | 186,583 |
| ✔ | | Aliya Chisti (Nonpartisan) | 11.7 | 126,904 |
| ✔ | | Alan Wong (Nonpartisan) | 11.4 | 123,437 |
 | Anita Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 10.8 | 117,629 | |
 | Marie Hurabiell (Nonpartisan) | 8.0 | 86,726 | |
| Han Zou (Nonpartisan) | 6.9 | 74,975 | ||
 | Victor Olivieri (Nonpartisan) | 6.7 | 72,840 | |
 | Jeanette Quick (Nonpartisan) | 5.3 | 57,925 | |
 | Geramye Teeter (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 25,580 | |
| Dominic Ashe (Nonpartisan) | 1.7 | 18,556 | ||
| Total votes: 1,086,511 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Chisti's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aliya Chisti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chisti's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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As a Trustee for City College of San Francisco for the past four years, I fought for transparency in governing processes, stronger fiscal accountability, facilities/technology improvements, and student-centered policies. I led the effort to eliminate $2.1 million in student debt for 14,000+ students, resulting in hundreds of students re-enrolling. I oversaw stronger financial practices to stabilize City College’s budget, ensuring oversight of taxpayer dollars. As Chair of Student Success and Policy, I spearheaded efforts to increase job training opportunities for students.
I am running for re-election to continue to fight for our students by addressing accreditation issues, continuing to strengthen the budget, protecting “Free City,” and growing enrollment.
I will continue to fight to keep City College as the “People’s College.”- Prioritizing Student Success
- Securing the Future of City College of San Francisco
- Protecting Free City
Governance and Oversight Role: As part of California's community college system, the Board is responsible for overseeing the governance of City College. This includes ensuring compliance with state laws, regulations, and accreditation requirements. The Board’s decisions impact not only the college’s operations but also its reputation and ability to provide quality education. This governance role makes it an essential component of the state's educational framework.
Stewardship of Public Funds: The Board manages significant public resources, including state and local funding, tuition fees, and grants. It must ensure that these funds are used effectively and transparently to support educational programs, student services, and facilities. The Board's stewardship is crucial for maintaining financial stability and public trust in how taxpayer dollars are spent within the educational system.
Commitment to Public Service: A genuine dedication to serving the community is essential. This includes being responsive to constituents' needs, advocating for their interests, and working tirelessly to improve their quality of life.
Accountability: Elected officials should be accountable for their actions and decisions, willing to explain their reasoning, admit mistakes, and take responsibility for outcomes. Accountability fosters trust and helps maintain a healthy relationship with the community.
Empathy and Inclusivity: Understanding and respecting the diverse perspectives and experiences of all community members is vital. An elected official should be empathetic, inclusive, and advocate for policies that benefit everyone, especially marginalized or underrepresented groups.
Vision and Leadership: Strong leadership and a clear vision for the future are important for driving positive change. An elected official should inspire and mobilize others towards common goals, making informed and strategic decisions that reflect the community's long-term needs.
- CA Controller Malia Cohen
- CA Assemblymember Matt Haney
- CA Assemblymember Phil Ting
- CA Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains
- SF Mayor London Breed
- SF President, Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin
- SF Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
- SF Supervisor Myrna Melgar
- SF Supervisor Hillary Ronen
- SF Supervisor Ahsha Safai
- SF Supervisor Shamann Walton
- CCSF Trustee Shanell Williams
-Former Supervisor Jane Kim
-Former Supervisor Norman Yee
- CA Working Families Party
- SF Democratic Party
- SF Green Party
- Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club
- SF Women's Political Committee
- SF Building Trades & Construction Council
- Rose Pak Democratic Club
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Aliya Chisti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chisti's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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She grew up in a low-income household and learned early on how education can transform lives. Her experiences as an educator sparked her passion to improve our educational systems to better serve low-income and students of color. She holds a Master's in Education Policy from Columbia University, where her thesis focused on the burden of student debt. Aliya was also selected by a 12-member board appointed by President Obama to serve as a Fulbright Scholar in North Macedonia, where she taught English and researched higher education policies.
As a legislative aide to Former BOS President Malia Cohen, Aliya worked on legislation to "ban the box" on private college applications, making SF the first city to do so in the nation. Currently, Aliya conducts fiscal and programmatic oversight for the Free City College of San Francisco Program at the Department of Children Youth and Their Families.
If elected, Aliya will be the first Muslim woman to be elected in San Francisco's history.- My platform is rooted in opportunity, community, and transparency.
- City College of San Francisco is the people's college and I will fight to keep it that way.
- I am former teacher and education policy advisor, it is time for new leadership at CCSF to ensure that student and teacher voices are heard.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate San Francisco Community College Board |
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