Debra Walker

(she/her)

Debra Walker is an artist and an arts and housing policy advisor who’s lived and worked in San Francisco since 1981, in one of the City’s oldest artist cooperatives. She came to San Francisco to focus on her painting from a thirty year career in arts, business and production management in publishing, advertising and technology. She has project managed and curated several projects for Google X, Google and several independent film production companies, and has exhibited her work locally, nationally and internationally.  

Walker served as the tenant representative on the Building Inspection Commission from 1999 – 2019, working to institutionalize the code enforcement outreach program in the housing division by convening tenant and landlord outreach organizations to support building owners in bringing their units up to code. She served on the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety that resulted in an international model for resiliency. Walker is a solution-focused leader who prioritized ensuring San Francisco’s housing inventory remains strong and safe. 

Walker has organized for many political campaigns locally, as well as throughout California and around the country to increase voter registration and to support candidates for office.  She is past president of both the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and the San Francisco Arts Democratic Club.  She has run for supervisor in SF, and has served as a caucus officer in the Women’s Caucus and the LGBT Caucus of the California Democratic Party. She is a past board member of San Francisco Planning and Urban Research center, and chaired both the Live Work and Arts Task forces created by the SF Board of Supervisors.