Dr. Khaleah Bradshaw, City Clerk, Carson, CA

Carson, CA — Carson City Clerk Dr. Khaleah Bradshaw is positioning transparency, accessibility, and public service as central pillars of her work in local government, drawing on a professional background in higher education and a personal history rooted in community engagement.

Bradshaw said one of her earliest priorities was modernizing the city’s record-keeping systems, a move she argues is essential for both efficiency and public trust.

“When I arrived at the very end of 2021, December 2021, I walked into paper everywhere,” Bradshaw said, noting that digitizing records became a central campaign issue during her first run for office.

She said the effort is ongoing but has already led to improvements in how residents access public information, including faster processing of public records requests and more streamlined internal workflows.

“We’ve done a lot with, first and foremost, trying to digitize all of the records, putting us in a position where we won’t be liable if something gets lost or burned or if there’s a natural disaster,” she said.

Bradshaw added that her office has also focused on improving transparency by ensuring that key government documents, including contracts, meeting minutes and ordinances, remain accessible, even during transitions such as website updates.

“We have an obligation to the public to make sure that contracts are visible, that minutes are visible, that resolutions are visible and that ordinances are still posted,” she said.

A Compton native, Bradshaw said her path to public office was shaped by both her upbringing and her academic career.

She attended Compton College before transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and two master’s degrees, later completing a doctorate in educational leadership at California State University, Long Beach.

Her professional career began at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where she rose through the ranks over more than a decade, eventually serving as acting associate vice president overseeing external relations.

“I was really happy at Cal State Dominguez Hills, it wasn’t a natural jump,” Bradshaw said of her decision to enter municipal government.

However, she said the opportunity to serve filled a need within the city and aligned with her long-standing interest in government and community work.

“I did see it as an opportunity to sort of fill in when the city had a need,” she said, later deciding to run for election after recognizing “there was a lot of work to do and I could be productive and I could be of some assistance.”

Bradshaw attributes her commitment to public service to a combination of early exposure to politics and a family culture centered on civic employment and stability.

“I grew up watching the news. I enjoy politics,” she said, adding that her mother’s work in ministry also shaped her understanding of service.

She also emphasized the importance of mentorship and community support in her own career trajectory, noting that professional opportunities often came through relationships and advocacy from others.

“I’ve had favor over my life every step of the way where people have mentioned my name in rooms that I’m not in,” she said.

That experience, she said, informs her commitment to helping others navigate education and career pathways.

“I wholeheartedly believe in giving. If you know somebody who needs to talk, I’ll talk to them,” Bradshaw said.

In her role, Bradshaw described the city clerk’s office, and by extension her responsibilities as an elected official, as both administrative and democratic, emphasizing neutrality and accountability to residents.

“I don’t report to the city manager. I don’t report to the council. My obligation is to the people who put me in this position,” she said.

She underscored that responsibility with a phrase she often uses to describe her role: “I don’t have a boss. I have 90,000 bosses.”

Bradshaw also pointed to Carson’s linguistic diversity as a key consideration in ensuring equitable access to civic participation.

Election materials in the city are provided in English, Spanish and Tagalog, with additional languages available upon request through Los Angeles County systems.

On election integrity, Bradshaw emphasized that Carson’s elections are administered in partnership with Los Angeles County, which oversees ballot handling and processing.

She said that structure helps reinforce public confidence by limiting the city’s direct involvement in vote counting.

“I don’t touch anything. I go and vote and put my stuff in a box just like the rest of you all,” she said.

To further build trust, she said her office has encouraged residents to use ballot tracking tools and has facilitated staff visits to county election facilities to better understand and communicate the process.

“Fear is a real thing, and mistrust of the government is a real thing,” Bradshaw said. “We can’t mitigate all of that, but we can provide some steps and some resources.”

Despite the seriousness of her role, Bradshaw said she values balance in her personal life, describing herself as someone who enjoys humor, socializing, and live music.

“I love to laugh. I think people perceive me as somebody really serious,” she said.

Bradshaw said her focus remains on improving government operations while maintaining a strong connection to the community she serves, a commitment rooted in both her professional experience and personal values.