​David Gomez,  Cheif of Staff
David Gomez is a native of San Diego, CA. He has been a District 1 resident for the past 34 years and is the proud parent of a Cupertino School District student.

He has been a neighborhood leader in the Murdock neighborhood for over 20 years, serving as a Board member of the Murdock Neighborhood Association. David is also a member of the District 1 Leadership Group working with D1 leaders to make an impact city-wide. David enjoys connecting with and advocating for residents and causes.

​During his free time, he enjoys working on classic cars, breeding rare poison dart frogs, and traveling to the many great beaches along the California coast.
Raania Mohsen, Deputy Chief of Staff
Raania has worked for over 14 years as a public policy and government relations professional in local and state agencies throughout the Bay Area, including the California State Senate and the City of Santa Clara. As former Executive Director of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County, she was instrumental in advancing regional policies addressing affordable housing, sustainability, transportation, and economic development. In joining District 1,
Raania looks forward to continuing to serve the community and contribute to improving the quality of life for constituents and residents across the City.  

Raania is a native of the Bay Area and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and MBA Degrees from Santa Clara University.  She has a passion for volunteering and serving as a Board Member with local schools and community organizations. 

​Outside of work and volunteering, Raania enjoys spending time with her family, baking cookies, and Pilates.
Cassidy Kohl, Policy and Legislative Director
Cassidy graduated from San Jose State in 2015, earning a Bachelors in Communication Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies. During her time there, she interned with the City of Sunnyvale ‘s Environmental Services Department and got hooked on public policy. Cassidy then moved up to Oregon where she attended Lewis and Clark Law School and received her Masters focusing on Environmental Law and Policy.

During her time in Portland, Oregon, she worked with environmental and land use non-profits, and for State Representative Paul Holvey as a Legislative Assistant. She has varied experience working on political campaigns for progressive candidates and ballot measures, and volunteering with local environmental groups. Cassidy looks forward to using her past work experiences and passion for good policy to help make District 1 an even better place to live and work.

​Cassidy also enjoys spending time hiking and exploring with her family. She and her husband welcomed their little boy to the world in May 2018.
Grace Kobylinski, Policy and Legislative Aide
Grace is the first generation in her family to be born in San Jose (and the USA), after her parents emigrated from Poland in 1986. She grew up in San Jose, spending much of her childhood in the Cambrian Park area where her mother started a small, but successful, eatery called Heartbeat Café. She holds very dear to her heart memories of working at the café and helping turn the family business into a gathering place for members of the community. Grace attended Sonoma State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice Studies in May 2012. Following graduation, she went to work at FireEye, a network security company in the Silicon Valley. While working full time, she went back to school for her Master’s Degree in Justice Studies and graduated in May of 2017.

​In her spare time, Grace enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband, Adam, and their dog Henry. Grace is passionate about pit bulls and animal rescue, spending her free time advocating for the breed.
Annale Damabeh, Community Relations Coordinator 
Annale was born and raised in West San Jose and currently lives in District 1. She recently graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning. Her areas of interest include affordable housing, public transit, and homelessness. 

Prior to serving District 1, Annale interned for the Office of Supervisor Jane Kim in San Francisco. There she spoke with constituents about city-wide issues and researched legislative topics ranging from protected bike lanes to affordable housing. She also interned at Bay Area Legal Aid, working with pro-bono lawyers to serve low income residents of San Jose on issues such as housing rights, public benefits, and economic justice. Annale’s experience has resulted in a deep rooted desire and passion for civic engagement.

​In her free time, Annale likes going on nature walks, camping, antiquing, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
Diana Garcia, Council Assistant 
Diana has been a District 1 resident for 15 years.  She is a Moreland School District and Prospect High School alumni. She graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in Political Science. While in school, she was involved in various campus organization and was a recipient of the Associated Students 55 Leadership Award. During her senior year in college, Diana interned with Council District 1 and worked on various community projects. Shortly after graduating from SJSU, Diana joined the Peace Corps and served as a Youth in Development volunteer in Thailand.  

​Diana is excited in join the District 1 team. Her policy areas include Homelessness, Code Enforcement, Transportation, and Parks & Recreations. During her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family. 
Noora Fawzi, Policy Aide
Noora is a lifetime resident of San Jose and a Junior at Santa Clara University.  She is pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Political Science with minors in International Business and Arabic, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. She is passionate about social justice and how issues such as racism, sexism, and ableism continue to impact our community. The highlight of her work experience has been travelling to Egypt over the Summer of 2019 and working with Bay Area Kids Dentist to provide free dental services to underprivileged and impoverished communities. She’s excited to combine her passions and work experience in the local government sector to continue improving San Jose's services and quality of life for its residents.  

​In her free time, Noora loves traveling, playing sports, listening to music, re-watching Friends, and spending time with her friends and family.