City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees member and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist Tom Temprano on February 1 announced that he will be leaving the Board to serve as the Political Director of Equality California—the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.
The newly created Political Director position will see Temprano leading all political engagement and electoral programs for Equality California. He will be working closely with senior leadership to implement the organization’s political strategy and civic engagement programs. Temprano will step down from his role at City College of San Francisco after serving on the Board of Trustees for five years including the past three as Vice-President.
“City College is one of the most important educational institutions in California,” said Temprano. “It has been one of the great honors of my life to spend these past five years working with the students, educators, and administration to keep this school open and accessible to all San Franciscans.”
Temprano was elected to the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees in 2016 after running a campaign focused on protecting the school in the aftermath of the accreditation crisis. During his time on the Board of Trustees he helped lead negotiations with the City of San Francisco to secure $200 million to ensure the continuation of the Free City College program; he fought to increase resources and funding for programs for both undocumented and LGBTQ+ students; and he championed the creation of City College’s cannabis industry training program—the first cannabis curriculum to be offered at any California community college.
“During my time at City College I saw firsthand how difficult it is for LGBTQ+ youth to feel safe and respected in a system that devalues them—even in a city as progressive as San Francisco,” said Temprano, who helped pass City College’s Gender Diversity and Inclusion Policy protecting trans students and staff. “Making sure that California is electing LGBTQ+ leaders in communities across the state is the best way to protect the next generation of LGBTQ+ kids. I’m excited to do that work at Equality California.”
Temprano has a long history of fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights and working to elect LGBTQ+ elected officials. He got his start in San Francisco politics after joining the progressive Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, where he served on the executive board for six years working to elect LGBTQ+ people in the Bay Area. He was elected as President of the Harvey Milk Club in 2013 and 2014 where he fought alongside City College faculty and students to keep the school open during its accreditation crisis.
He also served on the board of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and as a member of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee. Since July of 2018, Temprano has worked as Chief of Staff for District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the only LGBTQ+ member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. As the District 8 Chief of Staff, Temprano focused on protecting LGBTQ+ small businesses, updating San Francisco’s cannabis policy, and serving as the office’s liaison to the Castro neighborhood and the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re going to miss Tom in City Hall, but I can’t think of a more important job for him to be taking on at this time,” said Supervisor Mandelman. “Tom has been fighting for the queer community for more than a decade, and he is exactly who we need leading Equality California’s efforts to get LGBTQ+ people elected across California.”
Temprano will begin his role at Equality California on February 16, ending his employment at City College and the Board of Supervisors on February 15.
Published on February 10, 2022
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