Better Regional Transportation– Rebecca has served as the Chair of the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), which oversees the $8 billion in Measure BB funding. Under Rebecca’s leadership, ACTC launched free bus passes for school kids, stronger anti-displacement protections on housing for recipients of funds, cleaning up truck traffic congestion and air pollution in hard-hit neighborhoods, and moving a quick action to help fill an urgent funding gap that arose in vital congestion-relief project to get trucks out of our neighborhoods.

Fighting for Better Air Quality– Rebecca spent a term on the powerful Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board as the first Oakland representative on the Board in 25 years. Kaplan obtained millions of dollars for vital Oakland projects, helping to clean up and replace highly-polluting diesel engines, expand transit and electric vehicle programs, and ensure that our hardest-hit communities with the worst air pollution are not neglected. Kaplan won funding for vital projects to clean our air including free Broadway shuttle and cleaner trains, trucks and cranes. Kaplan helped to pass a law to crack down on toxic pollution that disproportionately impacts hard-hit communities in East and West Oakland.

LGBT Rights and Representation – Kaplan is Oakland’s first openly-LGBT elected official, and has worked actively to ensure the inclusion of community needs in city decision-making. Kaplan successfully led the repeal of old discriminatory laws, removing them from Oakland’s codes, and successfully fought to have Oakland’s youth funding programs include programs for LGBT youth. Kaplan organized the LGBT round-table, and helped support community efforts to launch the Oakland Pride Festival, to provide awareness training and respond to harassment of transgender people in Oakland, and fought for justice at the local, regional, and state levels, including helping to lead campaigns against prejudicial ballot measures.

Protecting Renters– As housing displacement is hurting our community, Kaplan authored a Measure to protect renters from excessive rent increases and wrongful evictions, and won funding in the budget for emergency anti-displacement assistance.

Protecting Sexually Exploited Youth– Rebecca secured hundreds of thousands of dollars for housing and services to help get sexually exploited youth off the streets.