I am a combat veteran of the U.S. Army, raised in Kern County. When I returned from Vietnam I entered Bakersfield Community College and became the campus coordinator for the United Farmworkers boycott. My involvement morphed into other areas of concern in the community. I co-founded an umbrella group of Chicano organizations called Chicanos Unidos for Progress (CUP).
In 1974 I was offered a short term appointment by the Governor's office to work on a project to upgrade the State-owned migrant camps. When that project was finished I was, again, appointed to work on a project to remove all of the sexist language from the welfare regulations. I ultimately became a permanent State employee where I focused on civil rights issues.
In 2010 I founded a Bakersfield chapter of the American GI Forum to combat police abuse against people of color. In 2013 I was elected State Commander and focused our statewide efforts on education issues. That is where I met my wife.
In 2015 the State Director of the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC California) contacted me. As the oldest Latino civil rights group in America, LULAC continues the fight for civil rights and he asked to chair the Director's Committee on Social Justice. I accepted the appoiontment and immediately began the process of addressing education issues. Through our attorneys at MALDEF, we asked the Sequioa High School Board to change from at-large to district elections so that there might be representation from communities of color. They have agreed to do so and the process has begun. A Southern Penninsula chapter is in the process of being organized.
When I moved to East Palo Alto there were so many issues that needed to be addressed that I, frankly, didn't know where to volunteer my time. Then I came across the Second Harvest Food Bank with their motto of "when you're hungry, nothing else matters" and decided that was where I wanted to serve. I began organizing the Ravenswood Food Bank in November of 2014 and by February of 2016 we were the largest operation of our kind in San Mateo County. The need was there but wasn't being adequately addressed. In spite of more than half a dozen small food programs in EPA, we still had people who needed food-especially our elders. Today we serve an average of 2,500 people per month with 45-50 local volunteers and 10-20 volunteers from other communities.
My experience with the community has made me realize the needs in our community and I am running for the EPA City Council to address those needs more adequately. As a member of the EPA City Council I will not only participate in guiding our city through some tough times, I will be an advocate for those not heard.
