Jason Siu

Project: Improving the Work of Boards & Commissions

Client: Office of the Oakland (CA) City Auditor

A native San Franciscan, Jason Siu, JD MPP '17, studied government and Chinese at Georgetown University, prior to completing a Fulbright Fellowship in Macau. There he taught English to elementary school children and coached a debate team. Since completing his joint law and policy degrees at Berkeley, Jason served as judicial law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Jason’s fellowship project for Office of the Oakland (CA) City Auditor was entitled “Improving the Work of Boards & Commissions.” For his report Jason completed a thorough taxonomy of these non-elected local bodies, categorizing their histories, enabling legislation, authority, and accountability systems. He also conducted cases studies of comparison cities (Berkeley, Sacramento, and San Jose) to help Oakland explore its options for improving the effectiveness and responsiveness of its boards and commissions.