OAKLAND, CA (TIP): Janani Ramachandran, a 30-year-old Indian American attorney, has emerged as the youngest and the first  woman of color to take oath as the Oakland City Council member in the US state of California.

Ramachandran took the ceremonial oath wearing a saree as the Oakland City Council member for District 4 in an inauguration ceremony held on January 10.

and helped build our movement. Honored to have my loved ones by my side as I took the ceremonial oath!” Ramachandran describes herself as “a daughter of immigrants from a small village in South India.

Ramachandran currently serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs and has previously served as a Commissioner at the City of Oakland Public Ethics Commission, according to her website. The Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley pass-out has worked in several legal non-profits. As a first-time candidate in her 2021 run for State Assembly, she shocked political experts by advancing to the special election runoff, coming out on top amongst a field of previously elected officials, her website said.