Hennepin County District 2
Leadership that is accountable, visionary, and invested in people.
Irene Fernando is the Hennepin County Commissioner for District 2 and Chair of the County Board.
Our Commissioner
Irene Fernando
Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2 · Chair of the County Board
Irene Fernando was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in November 2018 and took office in January 2019. She has chaired the Board since 2023. She lives in North Minneapolis.
“It has been an honor to be the youngest woman to ever serve on the Hennepin County Board, the first Filipino American elected in the State of Minnesota, and the first Board Chair of color in Hennepin’s 174-year history.”
— Commissioner Irene Fernando, Eight Years of Results
Her work centers on accountable governance, long-term systems change, and public decision-making that keeps residents at the center — building county systems that work for everyone who depends on them.
District 2 includes Plymouth, Medicine Lake, Golden Valley, North Minneapolis, the North Loop, Northeast Minneapolis, and St. Anthony Village.
Current governing priorities
Six areas where our office is working right now, and what each one has delivered.
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Defending Democracy
Naming the crisis honestly, and refusing to normalize the erosion of our rights.
$170M in federal funding protected by court orderRead the record -
Protecting Residents and Immigrants
Public systems should protect people from harm, keep families together, and ensure no one is stripped of their fundamental rights.
County property closed to civil immigration stagingRead the record -
Housing and Homelessness
Housing is a fundamental human right, and policies and resources should align with that belief.
352 families housed in 2025, with $37M invested in shelter operationsRead the record -
Transit & Infrastructure
Long-term public investment that expands access and opportunity while protecting communities from displacement.
$2M administered through the first anti-displacement program of its kind in the nationRead the record -
Healthcare & Public Health
Protecting essential safety-net institutions and addressing systemic disparities so care reaches everyone.
HCMC kept open and returned to financial stabilityRead the record -
Domestic Violence & Reproductive Justice
Safety from harm and full bodily autonomy are inherent human rights, and public systems must be worthy of people's trust.
Board resolution authored to direct Hennepin's domestic violence strategyRead the record
Eight Years of Results · 2019–2026
Eight years of governing documented across fifteen issue areas
Every figure here comes from a Governing Report, a State of the County Address, or a statement published by our office. Follow any one of them to the full record of wins for that area.
- $170M in federal grants protected through active court orders Federal overreach
- 4,746 affordable units created or preserved in Minneapolis, 2021–2025 — including 1,850 at 30% AMI Housing & homelessness
- $205M immediate funding plus a $500M hospital reserve secured to keep HCMC open Healthcare & public health
- 8,700 Embedded Social Work referrals in 2026 — 96% of residents remained in their communities Public safety reimagined
- 4,600 business owners served by Elevate Hennepin, since the program began in 2020 Economic opportunity
- 576,000 trees planted since 2020, toward a goal of one million by 2030 Climate & environment
The full record covers housing, healthcare, transit, climate, domestic and gender-based violence, immigration, federal overreach, democracy, racial equity, gender justice, public safety, economic opportunity, youth, county workers, and District 2.
Read the full recordStatus · May 2026
HCMC remains open.
The Minnesota Legislature passed a bipartisan deal. The risk of closure in 2026 is off the table. The only public safety-net hospital in the Upper Midwest continues to care for every person who walks through its doors.
- $205M in immediate funding to HCMC
- $500M hospital reserve account, usable over five years
Latest from the office
Recent statements from the office
Statements from Commissioner Fernando on county action, federal pressure, and decisions affecting District 2 residents.
- August 13, 2026 On the Evidence the Federal Government Could No Longer Hide Six months ago, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in her own neighborhood in South Minneapolis.
- August 4, 2026 Statement on the Hennepin County Board’s $2.254 Billion Funding Commitment to the METRO Blue Line Extension Today, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to increase the county’s funding commitment to the METRO Blue Line Extension.
- June 24, 2026 Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade Four years ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Roe was fundamental and transformative, establishing a person’s legal right to an abortion.
In her own words, and on her governing record
Speeches and governing reports
Three State of the County addresses and seven annual Governing Reports, all published in full.
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State of the County
The 2026 address, and the two before it
Commissioner Fernando’s annual address as Chair of the Hennepin County Board. Each year is published as full prepared remarks alongside the video of the program.
All State of the County addresses -
Governing Reports
Seven years of annual reports
A report to residents for every year in office, covering what the office set out to do, what the Board did, and what it produced for District 2.
All Governing Reports