AI "For Good" Strategist · Policy Leader · Berkeley, CA

Jessee Espinosa.

I connect emerging technology with responsible governance, turning complex policy into real public impact. Master of Public Policy, UCLA. Nearly a decade in oversight, budgeting, and workforce enablement.

Impact
$1B+ funding secured
Focus
AI governance & strategy
Based in
Berkeley, California
Status
Open to opportunities
Impact in numbers

Outcomes that move the needle.

( 01 · Impact )
$1B+ Legislative funding secured through analysis & oversight. 2024-26
85+ Published legislative summaries for the Board of Supervisors. SF Board of Supervisors
$500K+ Fiscal efficiencies engineered in the Mayor's budget. Budget analysis
$80M Measure O school bond, passed with 66% of the vote. Ballot measure
About
( 02 · Profile )

I'm an AI "for good" strategist who translates emerging technology into responsible, human-centered policy. My path began in community organizing and grew through public budgeting and legislative oversight. It's where I saw how the right systems can equip the next generation of the workforce.

The throughline

From organizer, to elected school-board member, to budget & legislative analyst: a decade spent connecting technology with the operations and people it's meant to serve.

The mission

Streamline the learning curve for AI adoption in the public sector, building governance that's ethical, accountable, and genuinely useful to the workforce.

What I do

Four ways I turn strategy into outcomes.

( 03 · Tap for proof )

Tap any card to flip it and see the proof behind the claim.

Selected work

Policy that delivered.

( 04 · Click to open )

I authored and passed a landmark resolution committing Merced City School District to Structured Literacy for its 11,000 students: phonemic awareness, systematic decoding, and a knowledge-building curriculum. Built through extensive coalition work, it earned a unanimous 5-0 Board vote plus the formal backing of the Merced City Teachers Association and district leadership. It distills five decades of interdisciplinary research into the district's foundational literacy governing document, making scientifically grounded, equitable instruction a right for every student.

Unanimous 5-011,000 studentsBoard, union & admin
Read the resolution (PDF)

A first-of-its-kind strategic analysis of an unprecedented amnesty program to resolve years of fraudulent building inspections. Rather than a standard review, it summarized a brand-new policy framework: waiving penalties and permit fees for property owners victimized by a corruption scandal involving former city officials. I detailed the roughly $924,226 in revenue the city would forgo, and flagged a critical consideration: without investigation into possible owner-inspector collusion, the amnesty could inadvertently benefit illegal work. The report became the Board's primary briefing document on whether to codify the process into law.

~$924,226 forgoneCorruption remediationUnprecedented framework
Read the analysis (PDF)

An analysis of an $18M contract for specialized engineering across the city's regional water system, including assessments of all SFPUC dams and spillways, a direct response to heightened state scrutiny after the 2017 Oroville Dam crisis. Its central component justified moving the Moccasin and O'Shaughnessy Dam projects to a new vendor to prevent a significant conflict of interest, ensuring that no single firm would audit its own design work. The report gave the Board the fiscal and ethical framework to safeguard water and power for 2.7 million residents.

$18M contract2.7M residentsConflict-of-interest safeguard
Read the analysis (PDF)

A strategic analysis of a $35M inter-agency funding commitment for the Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project. I reviewed the Memorandum of Agreement delineating responsibilities for a $172M joint effort, evaluated the SFPUC's $35M contribution benchmarked against the volume of water benefits, and analyzed the long-term fiscal commitments beyond initial construction. The report gave the Government Audit and Oversight Committee the fiscal and policy grounding to approve a resolution that secures drainage infrastructure while advancing a major regional water-restoration goal.

$35M of $172MInter-agency MOAGAO Committee
Read the analysis (PDF)
Experience & education

A decade of public service, from the grassroots to the legislative floor.

Master of Public Policy · UCLA
Certificate of Data Analysis · 2023
Leadership Merced · Class 34
Graduate · 2019
2024-26
Budget & Legislative Analyst
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
2020-24
Elected Board Member
Merced City School Board
2019-21
Leadership & Mentorship Facilitator
Merced High School
2017-19
Founder & Director of Forensics
Merced College
In the field

Public service, in motion.

( 05 · Moments )
Jessee Espinosa casting an official ballot at a Merced County drop box
GrassrootsGetting out the vote
Jessee Espinosa taking the oath of office
ElectedTaking the oath of office
Jessee Espinosa with Leadership Merced, Class 34
LeadershipLeadership Merced, Class 34
Jessee Espinosa receiving a leadership recognition award
RecognizedHonored for leadership
Let's connect

Building something
that needs a policy mind?

Location
Berkeley, California