From the Globe Political Desk

Emmanuel Gbenga Ogunleye has declared his candidacy for the Assembly District 11 seat. The district includes Antioch, Bay Point, Bayview-Montalvin, Clayton, Clyde, Concord, Crockett, El Sobrante, Hercules, Martinez, Mountain View, Pacheco, Pinole, Pittsburg, Port Costa, Rodeo, Tara Hills and Vine Hills.
    Prior to his candidacy for Assembly, Ogunleye worked as a senior administrator for several government agencies, including Alameda County Welfare; California State Social Security, Disability Quality Branch; California State Department of Health Services; and Social Security Administration/ Regional Office of Quality Assurance.
    As health and safety coordinator for the State Department of Health Services, he designed safety procedural manuals and was responsible for all aspects of implementation.
    As a regional quality examiner for the Social Security Administration, Disability Quality Branch, which encompasses California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, Ogunleye was responsible for the comprehensive and intensive analysis of policy, procedure and state medical and vocational decisions.
    In the nonprofit world, Ogunleye volunteered for 17 years as the general secretary of his church. He wrote the bylaws for the church organization, set up the yearly conference of all member churches, helped in forming new churches and prayer groups, and helped create a support program for local food banks.
    He said his vision is to make the 11th District more functional by bringing better paying jobs, making neighborhoods safer, enhancing diversity and inclusion, exposing all residents to equal economic opportunities and providing guidance on improving access to publicly available government resources/services.
    Ogunleye said he realizes the need to control urban sprawl and address infrastructure improvements in the district.
    Ogunleye immigrated to the United State from Nigeria in 1984. He attended Laney College and San Francisco State University, where he graduated in 1988. He met his wife of twenty years in 1986 while working at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. They have three children, Emmanuel Gbenga Jr. (18), Ariel Shade (15) and Yetunde Stephanie (10).