Political newcomer Jennifer Esteen is making waves in Alameda County as she challenges seasoned incumbent Nate Miley for the District 4 seat on the Board of Supervisors in the upcoming primary election on March 5, information from Livermore Vine confirms.

The race pitches Miley, a seasoned politician with over two decades of experience in the position, against Esteen, a registered psychiatric nurse and LGBTQ+ activist. Esteen, who resides in Ashland with her family, highlights her priorities as housing, healthcare, jobs, and justice according to her campaign declarations. "We deserve to live in a county where all of us have housing we can afford, access to high-quality preventative healthcare when we need it, jobs that allow us to support ourselves and our families -- and all of this in a county where we feel safe in the place we call home," Esteen said in a news release covered by CBS News San Francisco.

Miley, who strongly emphasizes his long-standing service and experience, considers his approach a bastion of continuity for the county amidst the loss of several colleagues. He prides himself on his contributions to mental health, homelessness, and community safety. "Many of my colleagues who I've served with in 2020 are no longer on the Board of Supervisors, so that's one reason why I'm running again, to continue that continuity of service to work on multiple issues from the mental health crisis to the homeless crisis to the brazen and blatant lawlessness that we see in our society, reparations and a host of other issues and concerns that our complex community and our diverse community deals with," Miley conveyed during a candidate forum.

While Esteen is pushing for stronger tenant protections, a universal basic income program, and more public health and mental health services funding, she also criticizes the county's neglect of violence prevention programs. "The county has a violence prevention program that was developed in 2005 that was never invested in. That’s another failure of leadership," Esteen expounded in a public District 4 forum, information from Livermore Vine reports.

The battle between the incumbent and the challenger signifies change versus experience, where Esteen's fresh perspective seeks to disrupt Miley's experienced-based campaign. Endorsements from party-affiliated groups and local community leaders indicate a slice of Alameda County's political spectrum. According to their financial filings, Esteen's campaign has raised close to $300,000, while Miley's campaign has raised approximately $350,000 in the same timeframe.