Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 28; Democratic Party

Francisco has a proven ability to work with people. He has the endorsement of all his colleagues on the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education.

Elected & Appointed Positions:

Francisco is a long-time school board member; he has been elected in three different school districts. First elected in 1990 to the Franklin-McKinley school district in San Jose, then when he moved to Oxnard, California he was elected to serve on the Oxnard School District Board of Education. Today he continues his commitment to public education by serving as President of the Board of Education of the Gilroy Unified School District.

As a school board member, Francisco is recognized as a person who strives for professionalism, honesty and integrity. While serving on the board of education in Oxnard he was selected by his colleagues to serve two consecutive years as President of the Board. As a member of the Gilroy Unified School District Francisco has been an advocate of reducing the achievement gap and increasing fiscal responsibility.

Professional Career

Francisco is a small business owner. He is the founder of DZ Consulting, a public affairs/social-marketing oriented consulting firm. Through his firm Francisco has been working with the South County Collaborative for the past four years addressing alcohol and drug related issues, in particular focusing on the prevention of underage drinking. He was instrumental in organizing communities in Morgan Hill and Gilroy that successfully passed a "Social Host Ordinance.' The social host ordinance is a strategy to address the issue of underage drinking and way to enforce the of laws prohibiting the service to, consumption by or possession of alcoholic beverages by underage persons.

Because of Francisco tireless effort the South County Collaborative was able to successfully attain a grant totaling over $500,000 for five years through The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which directs the Drug Free Communities Support Program in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Francisco's advocacy around substance dates back to the early 1990's when he was a Field Representative for Assemblyman John Vasconcellos. As a Field Representative for the Assembly, Francisco was responsible for advising him on community issues and the impact of legislation in several area including health, social services, housing, transportation and alcohol and drug issues. While working for the Assemblyman, Francisco became one of the founding members of the Association of Responsible Alcohol Control (ARAC). One of the victories that ARAC achieved was the establishment of a Conditional Use Permit ordinance in the city of San Jose which prevented the saturation of alcohol retail outlets in neighborhoods across the city. ARAC received statewide recognition as an Exemplary Prevention Program form the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

Francisco other professional experience also includes serving as director of training and technical assistance programs for the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO), and executive director of a nonprofit human services organization in Ventura County.

Community Service: Along with having his own business and serving on the board of education, Francisco has a history of serving as a volunteer. He has been a volunteer coach for his son's football, basketball and baseball teams. In addition, he also volunteers with the following organizations: St. Mary Church + lector Gilroy High School Choir program Gilroy Rotary Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County South County Collaborative Member of Gilroy Chamber of Commerce

Education: He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Jose State University.

Personal: He is married to Vernice, and together they have five children and two grandchildren.