City of Auburn City Council Councilmember Rachel Radell-Harris

Rachel Radell-Harris grew up in the Auburn area and moved back after college with her husband to raise a family. Even before she ran for City Council, Radell-Harris was involved in public service. In 2007, she was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers to serve as their National Science and Technology Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C., where she worked for Senator Dianne Feinstein. She is a certified energy manager with a background in electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and solar energy. On her campaign site, Radell-Harris explained that she decided to run for council when the city “decided to weaken the role of its new Sustainability Committee. As I looked more closely at Auburn’s city government and talked to citizens, I realized the decision to eliminate the committee’s requirement to create a climate-action plan exposed a recurring problem that plagues the city: it lacks a clear, long-term vision for resolving pivotal issues. Instead, it relies too often on short-term solutions that allow problems to return again and again.” 

First elected: 2020

Alma maters:  California State University, Sacramento (MBA); UC Berkeley (bachelor’s degree, civil and environmental engineering)

Notable quote: “I’ve learned in life that flexibility is everything. That’s how I view life: If Plan A doesn’t work out, there are always 25 other letters in the alphabet.” (Source: Interview with Gold Country Media)