Austin Bruckner Carrillo
Proof of the difference community can make
Austin Bruckner Carrillo is a dedicated community advocate and proven leader. As a candidate for the Hayward Unified School District, Austin brings a unique lived experience and a strong commitment to making positive changes. His priorities include keeping resources where they matter the most - in our classrooms, improving communication with parents, students, staff and our community and better supporting the emotional needs of our students especially those with challenging home environments like the one Austin grew up in.
Austin could have easily been another statistic if it weren't for being adopted into a Puerto Rican Italian family who raised him for the majority of his life. His adoptive grandparents were a stark change from his parents who were part of a legacy of addicts, generational trauma, and domestic violence. This was all Austin knew until his grandparents intervened. They continue to be his biggest role models
Growing up with his birth parents, like too many kids in our community, he experienced eviction, sexual abuse, domestic violence and parents with alcohol and drug addiction. He spent weeks living in a hotel, a local park and for a brief period of time at a local Hayward shelter run by FESCO. Through his childhood, countless individuals - including teachers and school counselors - stepped up where the system failed. He recognizes that most kids won’t have this level of community support and has dedicated his career to helping improve our systems.
Austin has had the privilege of working with influential leaders in government, including the former California State Senate Majority Leader, a member of the State Assembly, a current member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and a former City Councilmember. He's currently the Associate Director of the Alameda County District Attorney's Community Support Bureau, where he continues his mission of working with local non-profits, advocating and amplifying the voices of survivors and uplifting the most disenfranchised members of our community.
He currently serves as the Chair of the City's Community Services Commission and was most recently a finalist to fill two vacancies on the Hayward City Council in January and April. As a Commissioner, he has fought for a grant funding process that is easier for small nonprofits and businesses to navigate and has pushed for major reforms to the City’s police advisory board in an effort to increase community safety and communication.
Austin's involvement doesn't stop there. He's a passionate grassroots community organizer who serves as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party and is an Associate to the Alameda County Democratic Party. He's also the President of a local LGBTQ nonprofit organization that spans across Alameda County and serves on the Board of Directors for the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club. These roles exemplify his dedication to public service and his commitment to making our community stronger and more inclusive.
He's lived in Hayward for nearly 9 years and is a proud union member with the Alameda County Management Employees Association (ACMEA).