Candidate for
Member, Board of Directors; Central Basin Municipal Water District; Division 3

Who I am:

I am a Southern California native. I was raised by single mother in the City of Commerce and graduated from Bell Gardens High School. After high school, I attended East Los Angeles College and Cerritos Community College where I earned an Associate of Arts focused on Speech Communication.

I worked my way through college as a page in the City of Commerce Public Library. A few years later, I was able to secure a position in the Public Work Department and ultimately a position with the Community Services Department.

In the Community Services Department, I worked on social services and public safety issues. With my assistance, the City of Commerce was able to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars through the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance. Those funds were used to fund the City's Youth Diversion Program which was recognized as one of the premiere at-risk youth programs in the U.S. by Texas A & M University.

As a devoted public servant, I have a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from California State University, Fullerton and a career as a public relations professional working for the City of Commerce. I am responsible for communicating with stakeholders via print, cable television and web based media formats on city programs, services and events that include job and college fairs.

As a community activist I have worked relentlessly to advocate for transparent, accountable government. In 2003 I founded watchdog website savecommerce.org to ensure that voters knew the facts about what was going at City Hall to help them make informed decisions at the ballot box.

In addition, as a third generation union member, I have the distinct honor to serve more than 22,000 public employee union members of AFSCME District Council 36 in Southern California as an Executive Vice President. I also serve as Co-Chair of the AFSCME DC36 Political and Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) and was recently appointed as a delegate to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

My lovely wife Vanessa and I are happily married with four children 21, 20, 16 and 15 years-of-age. In my spare time, I serve as a mentor to a group of eight college-bound students at my alma mater Bell Gardens High School.

Why I am running:

Water has always played a critical role in our State's economy and in recent years it has become a top issue in Sacramento. How we address the challenges we face in using our most precious natural resource is one of the most important questions we will face in the coming years.

I'm running for the Central Basin Municipal Water District to ensure that working families have access to clean and affordable water. I will fight for working families by leading the way to establish local policies and transparent practices to move the Central Basin Water District forward in an accountable and responsible manner.

Why I am the best qualified candidate in this election:

I am the best qualified candidate in this election, with more than 25 years of experience in municipal government including six years of service on the League of California Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee. While there I advocated on behalf of Commerce and Southeast cities on issues like recycling, air quality and water quality, as well as on landmark legislation like AB32 the California Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

I've also utilized my environmental policy background on the Commerce Green Zone Working Group, which developed the first Green Zone Policy in Southeast Los Angeles, which was approved by the Commerce City Council in 2013. In addition, as a member of the Commerce Measure AA Committee, I took a lead role in developing over $6 million in recommendations for needed street, roads, and city facilities projects, which were approved by the City Council.

For these reasons, I have earned the support of many local leaders and elected officials throughout the district, including Commerce Mayor Tina Baca Del Rio, Commerce Councilmembers Joe Aguilar and Ivan Altamirano, Maywood Mayor Oscar Magana and Mayor Pro Tem Eddie De La Riva and Artesia Vice-Mayor Miguel Canales.

As an active Labor leader committed to all workers and building a stronger middle class, I am blessed with strong support from public and private sector unions, including AFSCME, the Southern California Pipe Trades District Council 16 and affiliates, Iron Workers Local 433 and the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 1100. I also have the support of workers that serve the people of Division III from the City of Huntington Park Employees Local 1769 and City of Commerce Employees Local 773.

Because of my long history of work as an advocate on issues important to working families, I have a large network of individuals and organizations along with the ability to raise the necessary funds to run a winning campaign.

I am a dedicated public servant here to serve the people of the Southeast with my knowledge, experience and integrity.

I humbly ask for your vote.