[On Tuesday, Dec. 20], I was sworn-in to serve a four-year term (2022-2026) on the Alameda City Council. As part of the swearing-in ceremony, last night, I wore the very same off-the-shelf Ralph Lauren suit and the very same Perry Ellis tie that I wore when I was sworn-in for my first full four-year term in 1998 (1998-2002).

My Council colleagues also honored me with the designation of "Vice Mayor" for the next two years (2022-2024). This designation is typically bestowed on the most-recently elected councilmember who received the highest number of votes in the November election.

Below please find the prepared remarks that I delivered last night:

Thank you very much. Before I begin, I want to express that our hearts are certainly with the Reyes family. I appreciate Judge Reyes taking the time in this difficult time to help his city move forward. Thank you very much Judge Reyes.

I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt “thank you’s” and “appreciations”. I want to say a special thank you to my mother, Tsutako Daysog and my late father, Ricard Daysog, as well as my older sister Christina Daysog. Also, great special thank you to my long-time significant other, Carolyn Monks.

I also want to express my gratitude and thanks to individuals of my re-election campaign committee who advised and helped me in this campaign: Reyla Graber, Dorothy Freeman, Gretchen Lipow, Janet Gibson, Karen Ratto, Jim Sweeney, Joyce Boyd and Peter Conn.

I wish to express appreciation to former Councilmembers Rich Sherratt and Doug DeHaan for their ever-positive and chipper encouragement.

There were many people who contributed monetarily and timewise to my campaign and, alas, I cannot name each and every one. But please be assured of my appreciation for your work, for, without it, we would not be here tonight.

But I want to express final appreciation to former Police Chief Burny Matthews and former Schoolboard member Bob Reeves for lending me their prestige to bolster my re-election effort. I truly appreciate your support.

The theme of my campaign was making sure City Hall is responsive to the needs of a changing Alameda. To this end...

Let us have a City Hall that is responsive to the great diversity in our midst: Let us change the City Charter to expand City Council from five to seven people. For a city of our size, and the size we are expected to grow in the very near term, I am convinced of the importance of having a council of seven with respect to a responsive city hall.

To this end, I reached wide for assistance in expanding, and have enlisted the support of former Councilmember Jim Oddie, council candidate Paul Beusterien, and community activist Robbie Wilson in helping me think through, and in helping me work with, the public and my colleagues on City Council.

Let us have a City Hall is responsive to local and regional traffic and transit challenges: Let us lay the groundworks to eventually bring BART from downtown Oakland to Alameda Point via a new crossing under the estuary, and ultimately to San Francisco.

Let us have a City Hall that is responsive to the needs of our youth: Like Councilmember Jensen and Mayor Ezzy-Ashcraft, I have had the good fortune of growing up in Mayberry RFD. But our youth today face different challenges that require City Hall to look at ways to further strengthen school district-City Hall partnership. Let us be open to examining agreements arrived at decades ago I believe in the 1970s, if not earlier, to assist our youth meet today’s challenges.

Finally, let us have a City Hall that is responsive to the requirement to preserve our unique island history and architecture, and that is responsive to the requirement to keeping open the doors of social and economic change.

On a final note, I want to make sure to congratulate Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft on her successful re-election effort, and welcome newly elected Councilmember Tracy Jensen. I also want to express my congratulations and heartfelt thank you to Councilmember John Knox White for his yeoman’s service to the community.

I am greatly humbled by and immensely appreciative of the decision by residents to allow me to serve on Alameda's City Council. I will continue to conduct myself on this dais in a manner that makes all of you proud, and to conduct myself in a manner that engenders and strengthens your trust in City Hall and this City Council.