Biography
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Clifford Gilmore, second eldest son of Carter and Liz Gilmore, was born in 1952. Clifford's' parents were very active in improving their new community of East Oakland. Carter spent nearly three decades at Granny Goose Foods on 98th Avenue, and Liz nurtured innumerable students during her career with the Oakland Unified School District. In 1977, Carter became the first African American elected to the Oakland City Council. His thirteen-year tenure helped to develop the passion in Clifford to restore a decent quality of life for all of East Oakland's residents.
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After graduating from Fremont High School, Clifford attended the Peralta Community College District Alameda and Merritt campuses. Following his education, he went to work in the food processing industry as a dedicated member of Local 655 for twenty years. With an introduction through his union, Cliff began to become more involved and active in community affairs. He served on his father's campaigns as a precinct coordinator, and a volunteer coordinator. He also served his mother's campaign for the Oakland School Board by canvassing neighborhoods. Desiring to stem the increase in crime in his neighborhood, he took an active role in his neighborhood watch program. Clifford's dedication to Oakland's youth and children was exemplified by his involvement as a Babe Ruth baseball coach for several years and his ongoing role as a mentor.
In 1994, Clifford responded to a life-changing decision to dedicate himself to building not only a better community, but also a better Oakland. Upon his selection as Executive Director of the Oakland Coalition of Congregations (OCC), he set about to alter the organization's membership to reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of the entire city.
Throughout thirteen years under Clifford's leadership, OCC has achieved widespread recognition for groundbreaking results tackling Oakland's difficult socio-economic issues. Some of the accomplishments included an unprecedented "report card" on the state of the Oakland School District; which served as a catalyst for improving the performance of teachers and students. In the area of economic reinvestment, Cliff and OCC exhorted major banks to meet their Community Reinvestment Act goals by increasing their lending activity to residents in council districts six and seven. His efforts through OCC lead to the establishment of a major grocery store in Downtown Oakland. Cliff addressed the persistent crime problems by starting multiple Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and organizing neighbors into Home Alert Groups.
Clifford has four adult children, and has been married to Cheryl Gilmore for twenty-eight years. He remains heavily involved in community improvement through his church and volunteer efforts such as Rebuild Together Oakland. He now seeks to utilize his drive and determination in City Hall as an advocate for the concerns and needs of District Seven residents.
In 1994, Clifford responded to a life-changing decision to dedicate himself to building not only a better community, but also a better Oakland. Upon his selection as Executive Director of the Oakland Coalition of Congregations (OCC), he set about to alter the organization's membership to reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of the entire city.
Throughout thirteen years under Clifford's leadership, OCC has achieved widespread recognition for groundbreaking results tackling Oakland's difficult socio-economic issues. Some of the accomplishments included an unprecedented "report card" on the state of the Oakland School District; which served as a catalyst for improving the performance of teachers and students. In the area of economic reinvestment, Cliff and OCC exhorted major banks to meet their Community Reinvestment Act goals by increasing their lending activity to residents in council districts six and seven. His efforts through OCC lead to the establishment of a major grocery store in Downtown Oakland. Cliff addressed the persistent crime problems by starting multiple Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and organizing neighbors into Home Alert Groups.
Clifford has four adult children, and has been married to Cheryl Gilmore for twenty-eight years. He remains heavily involved in community improvement through his church and volunteer efforts such as Rebuild Together Oakland. He now seeks to utilize his drive and determination in City Hall as an advocate for the concerns and needs of District Seven residents.