Candidate for
Council Member to Succeed Brenda Esqueda; City of San Fernando

I have been active in community politics since I was a child, volunteering for future boss, Ernani Bernardi, while still in junior high school. I attended local schools and graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Urban Studies.

Early in my career, after a short stint as a social worker, I became a legislative assistant and field representative for LA Mayor Tom Bradley and Congressman Howard Berman before joining LA City Councilman Bernandi's staff.

While raising a family, I worked as an independent contractor working on community-based issues and political campaigns, including several in the City of San Fernando. During that time, I was appointed by LA Mayor Richard Riordan to the board of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, which assisted area communities with beautification and business development projects.

In 1999, my career took a turn when I joined the LA County Probation Department as a Deputy Probation Officer. I was posted at Camp Kenyon Scudder, a juvenile detention camp, for about 2 years before being promoted to East Valley Probation Office in Van Nuys to serve as a field officer specializing in substance abuse. I later returned to the juvenile camp system, serving at Camp Glenn Rockey in San Dimas. In 2008, my career was cut short by an on-the-job injury sustained during a camp riot.

In 2007, I received a Ray Marin Award for Volunteerism from the LA County Deputy Probation Officers' Union, Local 685, and the Award for Service to At-Risk Youth in 2009 from the same organization.