Serge Fiankan

Serge Fiankan was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and lives in Pleasanton, California. Fiankan earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast telecommunications from San Francisco State University. His career experience includes owning a business and working as a real estate broker.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Leadership starts with people, not politics. 🌍✊

From growing up across continents to building a life in California, I’ve learned: resilience isn’t just personal, it’s community practice.

Where others see government limits, I see opportunity:

✅ Transparency & accountability

✅ Practical solutions that improve daily life

✅ Affordable housing, economic opportunity, safer streets

Progress isn’t ideological. It’s measurable, human, and grounded in lived experience.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Transparent, Accountable Leadership – I prioritize open government, clear budgeting, measurable performance, and public access to information, ensuring that voters can see how decisions are made and resources are used.ffordability and Opportunity – My platform focuses on reducing the cost of housing and essentials, expanding job training and economic opportunities, and supporting small businesses to help Californians thrive.Community Resilience and Well‑Being – I highlight strengthening public safety through community‑based approaches, improving infrastructure and emergency preparedness, expanding healthcare access, and supporting families and education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Serge Fiankan, running as an independent for California governor, focuses on transparent, accountable government, affordable housing and living costs, and economic opportunity through job training and small‑business support. He advocates for resilient infrastructure, clean energy, public safety with community-based solutions, and accessible healthcare, education, and family support. His platform emphasizes practical, people-first policies, digital inclusion, and fair, efficient funding to strengthen communities and ensure Californians can thrive.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I look up to God through the teachings of Papa Simon Kimbangu, they have been my best friends throughout life and never left my side for a second. My family and Humanity as a whole are what drive me every day to leave this world better than I found it. My hero is whom I chase every day. He is the best version of myself knowing that today I am a better version than I was yesterday but for sure not as good as I will be tomorrow.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want to change the status quo and address the real problems Californians are facing.I take a pledge to put people first and to refuse financial campaign contributions from corporations and PACs. This is so Californians know that I represent their interest.As the 5th largest economy and thanks to our progressive thinking, we have been the leaders of innovation and positive change on the planet, we should continue because when California holds the light, the rest of the world follows. Far too often people think of themselves as individuals, separated from one another. Yet, we are connected -- what Californians do affects the whole world. When we do well, it spreads out -- it is for the whole of humanity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about improving Californians' cost of living, their safety, and solving the homelessness crisis.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to God through the teachings of Papa Simon Kimbangu, they have been my best friends throughout life and never left my side for a second. My family and Humanity as a whole are what drive me every day to leave this world better than I found it. My hero is whom I chase every day. He is the best version of myself knowing that today I am a better version than I was yesterday but for sure not as good as I will be tomorrow.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

A movie in the works called “Nzinga"

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and integrity, leadership, and inspiring others

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Remember that they are elected to serve the people and only the people

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave this world in better shape than how it is today. I wish for it to be more livable and enjoyable, more balanced and harmonious. I wish for everyone to realize that we are all connected on this planet. I want to create the conditions for each and every individual to develop the needed self-confidence to walk proudly on their path to success and fulfillment.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I don’t remember but one thing I do remember is that I have never worked for anyone for more than 6 months

What is your favorite book? Why?

How to Watch TV News by Neil Postman. It forces you to keep a critical eye on everything the system is trying to sell to you.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

King Nzinga

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Fewdo mi Yidouma by Habibou Fatako, I don’t understand the lyrics but I love the melody.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Watching our leadership walk us to the abyss and not listening to the people’s wishes.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

As the top executive, the governor has to build the state on what unites us instead of what divides us. The governor has to have a vision for the future of our state and has to be able to lead the people to a better tomorrow

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

The current degree of involvement for the governor of Californis is adequate.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

I believe that it is a good tool to avoid a political deadlock. A situation where citizens pay the ultimate price.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

I believe that we need to work together and have the Californians’ interests at heart. This is in order to create a better future for all Californians.

What do you love most about your state?

It used to embody the American dream, the land where everything was possible. I want to bring this old dream back to reality.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Curbing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing water supply, managing energy, producing quality food while preserving the soil, making healthcare and housing more affordable and available, lowering the cost of living in California, and creating opportunities for the next generations.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Emergency powers should only be used for natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, power outages, or industrial fires, and should be very limited in scope. This is to avoid creating a dictatorship.

Campaign website

Fiankan's campaign website stated the following:

Cost of Living

Housing: address the entire construction cycle-cost of buying land, building, utility installation, permits, labor

Utilities: promote energy independent buildings

Gas: lower cost of hydrogen technology, improve public transportation

Food: grow food closer to cities

Crime & Public Safety

Revisit pop 47 and enhance prop 57

Offer structure to re-insert people that served back into the community

Offer trade training in high-schools & bootcamps for juvenile offenders

Provide local parks & recreation programs to youth

Homelessness

Create housing solutions that work using tiny home villages where meals, basic medical needs, professional training, and job solutions are provided

Incentivize corporations to hire in these communities

Climate Change

Manage forests

Plant billions of trees

Develop public transportation, re-allocate the bullet train funds, use electric bikes and scooters in cities

Implement new agriculture practices with natural fertilizers, low tiling, crop rotation, and no pesticides

Water Scarcity

Develop desalinization

Capture rainwater in buildings & cities

Recycle buildings' Graywater

Water crops more efficiently

Grow crops more adapted to our climate

Revisit water rights

COVID-19 Management

Businesses are fully open

Enforce mask-wearing when appropriate

COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice

Prepare the state at all levels to minimize spread and better manage cases without sheltering-in-place

Affordable Housing

Create sites with affordable houses for teachers, healthcare personnel, and low-income people and families.

Healthcare

Use nurse practitioners to fill the primary care gap.

Push production of better quality foods, decrease sugar consumption, use eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.

Make mental health a priority.

Sustainable Cities and Homes

Build “net zero” energy buildings with fireproof materials

Develop urban farming, make cities greener

Facilitate urban human connections

Sustainable Living Entrepreneurship

Support entrepreneurship in the areas of water, food (urban farming solutions, new food exploration), and energy sustainability

Attract and Retain Teachers

Implement a compensation model that allows teachers to live close to where they teach and to remain in the profession

Millennial Business Support

Create a fund to support Millennials in their business endeavors[4]

—Serge Fiankan's campaign website (2022)[5]