About Greer

Palo Alto through and through

Before casting your ballot for me (as I hope you will), there are a few things I think you should know about me: I believe in a representative democracy. You are not only voting for a candidate who reflects your values and policy positions, you are also voting for the person.

As a young kid growing up in Palo Alto and attending Palo Alto's venerable public schools from Duveneck Elementary, to Greene (then Jordan) Middle School, to graduating from Paly, I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to give back to the community that gave me so much. And that's why I got involved in local government at the young age of 23. I wanted to give back to the community that had nurtured me during my early years. So, when I was a young law student, I decided to seek appointment to the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission, an advisory body that focuses on the most vulnerable populations in our City. We addressed issues like homelessness, race and belonging, youth mental health, and senior citizen services. After serving on that commission for four years, County Supervisor Joe Simitian asked me to join the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission, an opportunity I could not pass up to represent Palo Alto at the county level. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, I ran for City Council, and thanks to you, I won!

Since 2020, I have been hard at work advocating for policies that matter most to you, and today, I'm one of the youngest mayors in our City's history. While on Council, I have had the opportunity to serve in a variety of ways on various City Council committees and regional boards. I have served as Chair of the Policy and Services Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, as well as my work on the Council Housing Ad Hoc and S/CAP (Sustainability and Climate Action Plan) Ad Hoc committees. I also represent Palo Alto on the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and the Santa Clara County Cities Association and serve as Vice-Chair of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA).

During the day, I'm a public school teacher at Carlmont High School where I teach AP Government, AP Microeconomics, and World History. Prior to that, I taught at Paly, Gunn, and JLS. Wonderfully, my experience as a teacher has prepared me well for my work on Council, and it has been helpful having a background in history and economics for many of our Council decisions. I am also an attorney, and although I no longer practice, I have found my legal training to be invaluable as I navigate the often-complex nature of the work I do.

My wife Adriana and I live and rent in Midtown. We are both teachers, and we understand the financial stresses it takes to live in one of the most expensive cities on earth. We all make personal and financial sacrifices to call this beautiful city home, and I will continue to work in order to help expand access for lower income people and people with families to afford to live here. As the only apartment renter on Council, I have worked to expand commonsense renter protections and invest in truly affordable housing.

Education

•  University of California, Irvine, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
•  Santa Clara University School of Law, Juris Doctorate
•  Notre Dame de Namur University, Teaching Credential

Community Service

•  Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission, 2017-present, vice-chair
•  Santa Clara County Justice Review Committee (HRC subcommittee), 2017-present, chair
•  Santa Clara County Committee on Racial Justice (HRC ad-hoc committee), present
•  Palo Alto Midtown Residents Association, 2017-present, chair
•  California Democratic Delegate AD-24, 2019-2021, delegate
•  Palo Alto Block Preparedness Coordinator, present
•  Palo Alto Human Relations Commission, 2013-2017, chair & vice-chair, former
•  Project Safety Net, liaison, former
•  Homeless Services Task Force, liaison, former
•  Senior Services Task Force, former
•  Palo Alto Mediation Program, liaison, former
•  Human Relations Commission Liaison to Palo Alto Chief of Police, former

Professional Experience

•  Palo Alto High School, student activities director & 9th grade advisor
•  Gunn High School, Social Studies teacher & SELF mentor
•  Mountain View - Los Altos Adult School, Social Studies teacher
•  J.L.S. Middle School, Social Studies teacher & site council
•  Menlo College, guest lecturer
•  De Anza College, guest lecturer
•  Education Unlimited, site director
•  Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP, attorney
•  Santa Clara District Attorney's Office, volunteer deputy district attorney/law clerk

My Palo Alto story began on my first day of kindergarten at Duveneck Elementary School. Throughout my education in Palo Alto schools I learned lessons that have left an indelible mark on me.

At Greene (formerly Jordan) I took a fieldtrip to the Baylands and learned about the importance of conservation and the dangers of climate change and sea rise. At Paly an inspiring history teacher showed me the importance of advocacy and the power one person can have in enacting change. Today, my experiences as an attorney, educator, human rights commissioner, and neighborhood leader have all prepared me to understand and address the issues most important to our residents and businesses.

I took these experiences with me to college at UC Irvine. While there, an old friend from Paly lost her way and succumbed to the peer pressure of drugs and alcohol. I saw it as the party culture of American colleges, and began knocking on doors of assistant deans and talking to anyone who would listen. I was appointed to UC Irvine's Alcohol and Other Drugs Task Force as the first student representative. This experience taught me that you need to have a seat at the table in order to enact positive change in your community.

After graduating from UC Irvine I returned to Palo Alto in order to attend Santa Clara University School of Law. While a first-year law student, I was appointed to the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission (HRC) in the spring of 2013 at the age of 23. I worked on issues involving youth wellbeing, senior services and homelessness, provided budget recommendations to council regarding nonprofit organizations, and served as the commission's liaison to Project Sentinel, Palo Alto Youth Council, and the chief of police. I also helped organize the Homeless Veterans Summit, which led to Mayor Holman pledging Palo Alto's support of the Obama administration's Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. During my four years on the HRC, I was unanimously elected vice chair and then chair of the commission.

In 2017, I was appointed to represent Palo Alto and the rest of North County on the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission. Currently I serve as vice-chair of the Commission and chair of the Justice Review Committee, which led the fight against changing county policy to allow county officials to coordinate with ICE agents. In addition, my committee is coordinating with the various law enforcement agencies to review and reform use-of-force policies and racial biases in local policing. These are issues I have worked on for years, and I will continue to do so as a Palo Alto City Councilmember.

After completing law school I passed the California bar exam and became a full-time practicing attorney. Within a few years, however, I realized that teaching, which I had done prior to law school, was more meaningful/rewarding to me, I decided to leave the law and pursue a more meaningful career. I obtained my teaching credential and am now a teacher at Paly, where I also serve as the Student Activities Director. (Previously, I taught Social Studies at Gunn High School, and JLS Middle School.) I also teach twice a week at the Mountain View-Los Altos Adult School helping students, both young and old, earn their GEDs.

My wife, who is also a teacher, and I rent an apartment in Midtown. As such, we understand the uncertainties many young couples and families face given the lack of affordable housing in Palo Alto. With renters comprising 45% of the city's residents, it is essential to have their voice represented on the City Council.

Palo Alto is the place that raised me, the place where I attended school, the place where I celebrated every birthday, the place where I developed lifelong friendships, the place where I got married, the place where I live and work, the place where my wife and I intend to raise our family. Palo Alto is my home, and that's why I am running for city council to repay this community for all it has given me.

Education

•  University of California, Irvine, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
•  Santa Clara University School of Law, Juris Doctorate
•  Notre Dame de Namur University, Teaching Credential

Community Service

Non-Profit Boards

• Rise Together Education, director
• Embarcadero Institute, secretary of the board