About Caden
Caden Cotton-Blake is a lifelong resident of San Pablo, California. He attended West Contra Costa Unified School District throughout his childhood and later attended Middle College High School at Contra Costa College's campus in San Pablo.
He then went on to San Jose State University to study economics. What inspired Caden to pursue economics was the experience of turning on the news each day at his grandparents' house and hearing politicians discuss economic policies that often felt disconnected from the day-to-day realities of working people.
He chose this field to help bridge the information gap and bring greater transparency into the economic affairs of local communities, so that public policy works for the people instead of enabling exploitation.
Education
Early Childhood
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Middle College High School
Contra Costa College
San Jose State University
Economics, Bachelor of Science
Experience
Contra Costa County District One Supervisor's Office
Supporting community through active casework, addressing constituent concerns, and building relationships between community members and institutions.
Alameda County District Attorney's Office
Supported equitable advocacy through the Clean Slate Division and directly provided policy recommendations to the District Attorney and organized community events with the Legislative and Community Engagement Division.
Richmond Land
Developing one of the only models that can create permanently affordable housing for our communities, educating residents on home ownership and pathways to building equity.
Community Service
Outside of work, Caden serves in multiple leadership roles across the community, dedicating his time to civic engagement, political organizing, and community empowerment.
El Cerrito Branch of the NAACP
First Vice President
Black Young Democrats of the Bay
President
Bay Area Region, California Young Democrats
Deputy Regional Director
California Young Democrats
Political Affairs Committee Representative
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated
Treasurer
Organizing
Caden has dedicated years to organizing across West Contra Costa County, helping strengthen civic participation, expand youth engagement, support candidates of color, and connect residents more directly to the political process.
His organizing work focuses on:
Building stronger connections between local government and the people it serves is at the heart of everything Caden does.