Humble Beginnings, Overcoming Adversity

These days, Wanda Williams is a successful community leader, serving as a Councilmember in Suisun City and Solano Land Trust Project Manager. Hers is an amazing journey for someone with modest beginnings.

From an early age, Wanda was driven to make something of her life. Raised by a single mother, the family struggled to pay the bills at times, but Wanda was undeterred. To help support her family, Wanda took her first job at the age of 15 and kept going from there.

A few years after leaving home, Wanda fell in love with her future husband Anthony. They've been happily married for 30 years while raising three children.

After years working as a successful travel agent and realtor, tragedy struck the family. Her two boys were diagnosed with fatal cases of muscular dystrophy and for eight years, Wanda served as their full time caregiver, creating a loving and nurturing home that made the best of a tragic situation. When they both passed, Wanda was determined to devote the rest of her days to a life of purpose, helping others overcome struggles and leaving our world a better place.

Wanda enrolled at Solano Community College, excelled, and earned a President’s Award for her work on the College Senate. She then transferred to and graduated from UC Davis with a Degree in Political Science and with a Public Service emphasis.

Leadership in the Community

While helping her children with disabilities, Wanda volunteered what little spare time she had to serve as the Parent Representative to the Community Advisory Committee of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. In that role, she championed more investment into educational programs for children with special needs, raised parent awareness on the importance of school attendance, reviewed school budgets, and advocated for school policies that reduced bullying and promoted inclusion.

Wanda was eventually appointed by the Suisun City Council to the Suisun City Measure S Oversight Committee, where her peers quickly appointed her as the Chair.

Leading the Committee, she helped oversee millions of dollars in tax revenue allocated to vital services including the rapid 911 emergency response system, community policing patrols, gang intervention, fire prevention, and maintaining parks and roads. She also reviewed annual audits to ensure that the money was being responsibly spent.

Her leadership was recognized by community leaders in Suisun City, and they encouraged her to run for City Council. She ran and won in 2018, eventually serving as Mayor Pro Tem.

Accomplishments

On City Council, Wanda has focused on strategies to make life better for everyone. Wanda’s accomplishments include:

• Helping to maintain a balanced budget in Suisun City and creating the first Strategic Plan and Fiscal Model for Suisun City;
• Leading during the pandemic:
  • Creating and partnering with Food Is Free Solano for drive through food support to help struggling Solano County residents;
  • Working with the Suisun City Fire Department to create a COVID-19 testing facility at the Suisun City Senior Citizen Facility; and
  • Establishing the Go Yellow Solano County mask wearing initiative to encourage councilmembers to help their communities get to the safer yellow tier of risk at the peak of the pandemic;
• Constructing more affordable housing and expanding social safety net services to assist those who need help to live healthy and productive lives;
• Creating Suisun City’s inaugural Veterans Day Celebration to salute the many veterans who enrich our community.
• Recruiting a Community Engagement Coordinator to build a better relationship between law enforcement and the broader community;
• Helping to connect our police force with Solano County Mental Health Services and fostering a relationship with Change and New Beginnings,
• Stabilizing fire and police resources to keep the community safe,
• Helping grow Suisun City’s economy and tax base through the approval of a new hotel and 15 other entitlement projects; 
• Co-founding the Solano County Health Equity Committee to address health equity disparities in underserved communities in Solano County;
• Promoting efforts to Buy Local and encourage tourism in Suisun City, and
• Establishing initiatives to build community, like 
  • The Good Neighbor Policy and Adopt-a-Neighborhood programs to reduce blight and offer free education services around things like yard improvements and sustainability, 
  • The Volunteer in Police Services program to build trust between law enforcement and the community, and 
  • The Children's Art Fair to inspire Suisun City youth and help them tap into their creative potential. 

Wanda represents Suisun City on numerous important regional bodies, including the Suisun City Housing Authority, Suisun-Solano Water Authority, Suisun City-FSUSD Joint Committee, and League of California Cities Community Services Policy Committee Chair, North Bay Executive Board Member, and African American Caucus Member.

In addition to her City Council responsibilities, Wanda works as Project Manager at the Solano Land Trust where she works collaboratively with federal, state, and local governments; businesses, and nonprofits to build support for protecting open space and farmland in Solano County.

Now Wanda is ready to continue her life of purpose as Solano’s next County Supervisor. Her life’s journey prepared her for this moment, and she will be honored to earn your vote. 

Accolades and Affiliations

• Visionary Award from Revival Center Ministries for professionalizing their outreach to at-risk and vulnerable women
• 2021 Woman of the Year by Congressman John Garamendi
• Meals on Wheels Solano County 2019 Community Champion
• Honorary Commander at Travis Air Force Base 2021-2022
• President’s Award at Solano Community College
• Board Member, Solano Community College Educational Foundation
• Member, Fairfield-Suisun Rotary
• Member, Wednesday Club of Suisun
• Member, Tri-City NAACP 
• Member, Black Women Organized for Political Action, Solano Napa Chapter
• Member, Solano County League of Women Voters 
• Member, Solano County Farm Bureau
• 2024 Trailblazer Hall of Fame Award by California Black Women's Collective