Recently, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks announced that Michelle Milam was selected as the Assembly District 14 Woman of the Year.
Wicks called Milam a respected community leader who understands that for us to find solutions to our shared challenges, collaborative partnerships that are rooted in community are essential.
The following statement was released by the Richmond Police Department:
Crime Prevention Manager Michelle Milam who received the State “2023 California Women Making Herstory” Woman of the Year for the 14th Assembly District. She was selected by State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks for this award. The award acknowledged Michelle’s work with the City of Richmond Police Department on safety and community relations and her work with the City of Richmond on housing issues, including helping to identify state and federal resources to assist the unhoused community in Richmond.
Ironically, Michelle began her career at the age of 21 with the California State Legislature as a field representative on safety, apprenticeship and housing issues. A Richmond native, she attended the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and later the University of California, Berkeley. Her family has lived in Richmond over 50 years. As a teenager Michelle was part of an organization called the East Bay Public Safety Corridor Partnership, an organization formed to help reduce youth gun violence where she had the opportunity to work on policy issues like violence reduction at a young age. She wanted help young people in her hometown of Richmond felt safe.
Michelle has served as a mayoral aide at the City of Richmond. She also serves as the President of the Richmond Public Library Foundation.
Michelle is well known for bringing new ideas and relentless energy that benefits Richmond. Michelle manages the Department’s Crime Prevention Unit, and is a key part of the interdepartmental unhoused intervention team, where she oversees the City’s CORE Homeless outreach efforts to impact the needs of the unhoused, and community safety concerns. Michelle has served in many roles an capacities in the police department and citywide including coordinating crime prevention and public education efforts, volunteer programs, youth and school outreach, crime-free housing, cultural competency, the chaplaincy program, the social media team, addressing neighborhood concerns and helping to coordinate the City’s Juneteenth events.
Michelle was part of the City team that helped procure 4.8 million dollars in state funding to provide support to transition individuals in the largest encampment into transitional and permanent housing, the second largest award in the state.
