Alexis Fineman began her career in public service as a gadfly, working to protect an established native plant garden at a local park from being removed. She surprised herself (and everyone else) when she applied –and was appointed–to fill a vacant seat following Councilmember Kay Coleman’s retirement in July 2019. She was then elected to a full term in November 2020, after running a zero-waste campaign that included hand-printed compostable and recyclable yard signs. She served as Mayor from 2021-2022. 

Having first joined the Town Council at age 25, Alexis remains the youngest council member in Marin County. She is proud to give voice to her generation’s priorities, particularly the urgency of mitigating and adapting to climate change, while working to meet the long-term needs of her community. She is credited for her ongoing work to institutionalize the Town’s Climate Action Plan as a guiding document for the Town’s planning, policies, infrastructure, and operations and to build capacity for its implementation. To date, this has included:

• Developing the foundation for the Town’s first Climate Officer through an innovative shared-service model with
   neighboring Fairfax (2021)
• Creating Town’s first Climate Action Fund (2021)
• Introducing new metrics for analyzing Climate Action Plan consistency in staff reports (2020)
• Securing funding for gas yard equipment rebates to ensure equitable policy implementation (2020, 2022)
• Working in partnership with the Climate Action Committee to advance council discussions and policies related to
   transportation and building electrification (ongoing), including recent measures to limit the expansion of end-use fossil
   fuel infrastructure through a moratorium on new gas stations (2022) and a ban on methane gas in new construction (2022)
• Initiating the creation of the Town’s first Class I Bike Lane alongside Memorial Park through leveraging a planned repaving
   project (2021) and elevating the Town’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in the capital planning processes
• Urging council support for a stronger water conservation at Memorial Park, resulting in the first “purple pipe” project in
   San Anselmo (2022)
• Serving as San Anselmo’s liaison to the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers Climate Action Committee,
   which she chaired from 2021-2022

With a commitment to San Anselmo’s cultural vitality and downtown vibrancy, Alexis has supported parklets, pedestrian events, community gardens, and the expansion of public art from behind the dais. She helped form the Town’s Racial Equity Task Force (now Committee) and spearheaded the Town’s inaugural Pride gathering in partnership with the SPAHR Center and members of the Economic Development Committee. 

Alexis is a lifelong resident of the Ross Valley and the Corte Madera Creek Watershed. Her professional background is in education and environmental work. An erstwhile outdoor educator and classroom teacher, she now works for SEI, a climate and sustainability educational nonprofit, developing curriculum and K-12 programs throughout the state. She also serves on the board on Home Ground Habitats, a native plant nursery and education center. She has a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Wesleyan University and is certified in Permaculture Design. She is a lapsed vegetable gardener and sometimes makes art in her spare time, including an annual contribution to the Box Show at Gallery Route One in Pt. Reyes Station.