Candidate Experience
— October 11, 2020 Aileen Cassinetto
My remarks given at the conclusion of my campaign launch, "Words for a Better Today."
City of East Palo AltoCandidate for City Council
Antonio Lopez
Writer
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Candidate has provided information.
My Top 3 Priorities
- Increase College Enrollment
- Parking Regulations
- Affordable Housing
Experience
Experience
Profession:Writer
Instructor for English Composition, Rutgers-Newark (2016–2018)
Assistant to the Executive Director of Latino/a Studies Program, Duke University (2014–2015)
Education
University of Oxford — Master in Philosophy, Modern Middle Eastern Studies (2020)
Rutgers-Newark — Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing (2018)
Duke University — Bachelors, African and African American Studies (2016)
Community Activities
Co-Director, Center for Race Relations (2015–2018)
Delegate, U.S.-Mexico Forum for Cooperation, Understanding, and Solidarity (2017–2017)
President, La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc. (Rho Chapter) (2015–2016)
President, Multicultural Greek Council (2015–2016)
ESL Tutor, GANO (Gente Aprendiendo Para Nuevas Oportunidades) (2014–2015)
Who supports this candidate?
Individuals (3)
- Court Skinner
- Dixie-Lee Specht-Schulz
- Mark Dinan
Questions & Answers
Questions from League of Women Voters of California and Elect Justice CA (2)
Does your office have any plans to include currently or formerly incarcerated people in your decision-making process as it relates to criminal justice issues? What would that look like?
Answer from Antonio Lopez:
As Council Member, I will work to expand and invigorate models of community policing program. I will work with faith-based organizations and leaders, such as Pastor Paul Bains, who for years has been at the forefront of gang intervention through his work to create “neutral zones” such as what once was Lord’s Gym. We will train community leaders to develop non-traditional responses that extend beyond policing to solve problems, to arrive at the root of the crime’s cause rather than its symptoms. We will ensure that all persons returning the community from incarceration find a supportive community and family network to reduce recidivism rates. East Palo Alto, as aforementioned, has the unique advantage of being such a tightly-knit community. This social-cultural aspect of the city will allow neighborhoods to gather intelligence on to prevent crimes, offer multiple sites for intervention, and only contact police as a last resort.
With 8,000 people eligible for release from CA prisons to help stem the transmission of COVID-19, how, if at all, would your office aid these Californians and their families in navigating reentry?
Answer from Antonio Lopez:
It is essential we ensure that personnel responsible for overseeing our reentry program have the sufficient resources they need to accomodate the influx of our state's former prisoners. That is why I as councilman will work closely with the David Lewis Reentry Program/Service Connect, a leading model of helping the formerly incarcarated become productive members of society. To quote Jose Cabrera, community worker and former interim director of correctional health services for San Mateo County, "[The center] has given the county a blueprint on how to use resources from the state, the county, and the city together." As councilman, I will work tirelessly to secure additional funding at the county, state, and federal level necessary to increase staff. An unprecedented number of reentry necessitates an unprecedented increase in the center's "in house" programs: from classes in personal development, to cognitive restructuring, to resume development and job searching assistance, and equally important, a bolstering of the center's support groups.
