Dr. Narges Rakin for SOCCCD Board of Trustees
Twenty-six years earning the public's trust.
Educator · Parent · Advocate. Dr. Narges Rakin has spent her career building budgets in the open, closing equity gaps with data instead of slogans, and answering to faculty, staff, and students first. She's running for SOCCCD Board of Trustees to bring that same discipline to the district's finances.
The Record
Every dollar accounted for. Every decision explained.
Dr. Narges Rakin, Ed.D. has spent 26 years in California's community colleges — as a tenured professor, a faculty union president and chief contract negotiator, and now as Dean.
"Fiscal stewardship is not austerity for its own sake — it's disciplined, transparent planning that protects students and employees while an institution finds its footing."
As a former union president, she has sat on every side of the negotiating table — which is why she believes a board member's job is to keep faculty, staff, and the public genuinely informed, especially when the news is difficult.
The Platform
Fiscal responsibility & transparency
This is the area where Narges's record runs deepest — not as a promise, but as a habit she's practiced at every level of a community college system, from the classroom to the cabinet table.
Budgets built in the open
As Dean, Narges manages divisional budgets using a transparent, faculty-informed process — not closed-door decisions handed down after the fact. She'll bring that same standard of open, plain-language budget reporting to the SOCCCD Board.
- Push for budget documents the public can actually read, not just auditors
- Insist that spending decisions are explained before they're voted on, not after
Growth without risk
She expanded academic programs without touching the general fund or raising costs on students — programs that model district-wide growth and build public-private partnerships. That's the model she wants for district-wide growth: chase outside dollars aggressively before asking students or taxpayers for more.
- Prioritize grant and workforce-development funding to grow programs
- Protect the general fund as a last resort, not a first option
Answerable to the people who pay for it
A board seat isn't a reward for a resume — it's a responsibility to the students taking the classes, the parents footing the bill, and the taxpayers underwriting the district. Narges believes every decision the board makes should be able to survive a direct question from any one of them, asked in plain language, in public.
- Hold open, plain-language Q&A at board meetings before votes on major spending
- Publish decisions and their reasoning in language students and parents can actually follow — not just auditors
- Treat public comment as information the board has to respond to, not a formality to sit through
Get Involved
Join the campaign.
Whether you want to volunteer, host a coffee, or just have questions about where Narges stands — reach out directly. This campaign runs on the same principle as her record: real answers, no runaround.
Support the campaign
Contributions fund voter outreach, printed materials, and events across the district.
DonateSecure donations processed by eFundraising Connections.