A new chapter for 5Q4
When this series of profiles began, the focus was on the artists of Alameda, people who dazzle us, enthrall us, and move us with their creativity, imagination, and talent. Over time I’ve interviewed actors, filmmakers, chefs, tattoo artists, George the Bicycle King [1], and many other phenomenally fascinating people. The time has come, however, to flick on the Post’s turn signal, look carefully, and change lanes. Going forward, I’m going to share with you the personal stories of another category of people—folks who get things done. Not those with the fanciest titles who are already well known in Alameda. Those folks are important and deserve our respect and praise, but this series will now begin to focus on the great people behind the great people, those on whom we rely to do the smaller but essential things that provide important services to citizens.
[2]Sarah Henry
Sarah Henry’s secret weapon is that she’s genuine. As the primary contact for the media and public for the City of Alameda—not quite a political hotspot but also not Mayberry RFD—she has a quality of professionalism that earns respect and trust, along with a demeanor that is assuring and comforting. She’s the kind of person who makes you believe everything is going to be OK, because she believes it herself. It is with great excitement and respect that I share with you the first of this new 5Q4: Sarah Henry, Communications and Legislative Affairs Director.
[3]As “the primary contact for the media and public” for the City of Alameda, you get to promote fun events like the annual Fourth of July Parade [5]. But you were also central to the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you share what that was like?
A fun fact about me is that I never worked from home during the pandemic. Before everything shut down, I was enjoying a delicious dinner with friends at Pappo when I received an urgent phone call from my boss. The City needed to start planning for the possibility that the Grand Princess cruise ship, with COVID-positive passengers on board and all passengers needing to be quarantined, might dock in Alameda. That was the moment for me when the threat of COVID became very real. The next week, an Alameda firefighter tested positive for COVID. As one of the first cases in the county, this was breaking news and I was giving interviews in front of City Hall. By the next week, the City’s executive team was stationed in the Emergency Operations Center, where I would work for the next several months, trying to do everything we could to help people with very little information.
After a brutal winter with spikes in cases, vaccines started becoming available. I got my first vaccine at the mega vaccination site at the Coliseum. I’ll never forget driving up, meandering through a very long line, and getting that shot with tears of joy.
Overall, I think Alameda met the moment with kindness and compassion. We were all Alameda Strong, protecting ourselves, our families, our loved ones, and the most vulnerable members of the community.
[6]What would you say are your strengths and skills that help you do your job?
I love helping people solve problems. I enjoy meeting new people and helping people who are in need and/or have not been treated fairly or with the respect they deserve. I am also very optimistic and tend to believe that everything will work out. And it usually does!
Alameda is an ever growing and changing community. Has that changed your job in any way and has that been easier or harder?
Another fun fact about me is that while I moved to Alameda from San Francisco in 2010, my dad was a Marine and I also lived in Alameda when I was little and went to kindergarten here. I understand people who have been here for a long time and are nostalgic about the base or how things used to be. But I see people working so hard every day to help Alameda thrive, and that commitment and residents’ genuine love for Alameda absolutely make my job easier.
[7]How has social media affected your job? Our desire for more immediate information seems to be growing exponentially—are you able to keep up with all the platforms the City uses to keep us informed? We’re all on our phones all the time, do you have to be as well?
When I started working for the City in 2016, the City didn’t use social media! We also had an old website and did not have a central place for subscribing to City updates by email. Fast forward to today where we have a strong social media presence, a great website that is updated daily, and dozens of topics you can subscribe to to receive email updates. I am a super fan of all of these platforms because of how it enables the City to share information quickly and with a lot of people.
When I interviewed for my position, I remember being asked how I could make a difference. At the time, the City had recently cut down trees along Park Street and replaced them with new, young trees that will be a better fit when they mature. While these plans had been in place for years, it took many people by surprise and people were not happy. I shared how important it is to bring attention to big changes like this before they take place, and I try hard to do that every day! Each one of the City’s departments do good work that often goes unnoticed, and I try to lift that up and keep community members informed. And when people are negative, I just tell myself they are increasing the algorithm and it’s all good. 😊
[8]What do you like best about the role you play in City government, and what’s the hardest part?
In addition to communications, I direct legislative affairs for the City, which keeps me connected with the elected officials (and their staff) who represent the City at the county, state, and national level. Something folks might not know is that Alameda typically supports around 50 bills each year based on our values and priorities, which means that we are helping make things better in other communities across California. We also work with federal lawmakers to advocate for things that are important to Alamedans, like maintaining funding, healthcare and services for veterans, and supporting policies that matter—like making Juneteenth a federal holiday. I really enjoy being able to affect change at this scale.
More than anything, I like that I serve as a liaison for community members with our local government. I know that sometimes people feel like they are getting the runaround, or they just don’t know where to go with a specific question or request. Folks can always email or text me with questions and if I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to track it down.
One aspect that is challenging is that I end up wearing a lot of hats and feel bad that I cannot do more for people. I look forward to the day when I have a team of folks to work with!
[10]Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players [11], a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected] [12]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane [13].