Following the retirement of Redwood City Fire Chief Ray Iverson, the city is currently searching for his successor. Credit: Redwood City Fire Department
After a distinguished 33-year career in the fire service profession, Redwood City Fire Chief Ray Iverson announced his retirement on August 8, prompting the city to search for his successor, who is expected to begin his duties in December of this year.
The city will begin an open hiring process this fall with the intent of naming a new fire chief before Iverson retires, and has hired Teri Black and Company, a leading public sector executive recruiting firm, to conduct the search.
However, not everything will be left to the decision of this firm, as the city council wants to listen to the community and learn from its residents about the experience and necessary characteristics that the next fire chief must have.
As part of the selection process, City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz is seeking community input on the experience and characteristics needed in the next fire chief.
Community members can provide information in a variety of ways.
Through a community survey, which is available online or in paper form by visiting any of the City's facilities, including the Downtown Library (1044 Middlefield Road), the Schaberg Branch Library (2140 Euclid Avenue), and the Redwood Shores Branch Library (399 Marine Parkway).
As well as the Veterans Memorial Senior Center (1455 Madison Avenue), the Community Activities Building (1400 Roosevelt Avenue) and the Fair Oaks Community Center (2600 Middlefield Road). The survey is available in English and Spanish.
Interested parties can also provide feedback at the City Hall booth during Fiestas Patrias on September 15 at 3:00 p.m. at Courthouse Square (2200 Broadway Street, Redwood City).
The APPI community can make a difference in the upcoming elections, as many voters will be participating in their first elections.
Listen to this note:
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing constituency in the United States. More than 15 million of them will be eligible to vote on November 5, many of them for the first time, so this segment of the population could make a difference, yet little is said about their needs.
“This segment of the population has grown quite a bit, representing the margin of victory,” said Shekar Narasimhan, founder and president of the AAPI Victory Fund, speaking from the battleground state of Michigan, during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
Narasimhan said that around 1.75 million people from the APPI community are eligible to vote and the total margin of victory of the voters in 2020 in the presidential elections in seven states was 385 thousand votes.
In 2020, she said, there was a virtual campaign and AAPI communities are among the most active on social media, but the community was not directly reached because the media is not channeled and there are low information barriers.
To present real needs, they approach people directly, speaking about migration, visa issues, public policies for the community, housing, health, and more.
“The action is important because it not only determines the future of who is in the White House, but the enthusiasm that comes from having someone whose mother was born in India, so has roots in India, in South Asia, is significant,” Narasimhan concluded.
Christine Chen, CEO of APIAVote, discussed some of the key findings from a survey of the Asian American voter, commenting that as of 2020, the number of car registrants is growing at a rate of 1.28 times that of the voting-age population of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — in other words, those over the age of 18 and U.S. citizens.
In 2020, 21 percent of Asian American voters who turned out to vote were first-time voters, which was even higher in battleground states, where, for example, in Georgia, 26 percent of the vote was from the AAPI community.
Chen said that 90 percent of this community is still thinking about voting, in 2022, 73 percent of the community decided to vote early or by mail.
“We continue to see some shifts, but Democrats continue to gain ground among Asian American voters at 42 percent, 31 percent are independent voters, and now 22 percent identify as Republican. Now, when you take those who say they are independent, it actually drops to 19 percent, while 28 percent identify as Republican, the three largest ethnic communities,” Chen said.
Chinese, Indian and Japanese Americans are the top three ethnic communities, and 50 percent of this population has said they have never been contacted by Democrats.
Mohan Seshadri, executive director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance of Pennsylvania, said they have implemented a year-long voter outreach program, the largest in the country, that was successful in not only electing the governor and Senator Federman, but also winning the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the process and they are going to do the Asian American voter outreach program again this year.
“We’re going to knock on 500,000 doors in 22 languages, make 5 million phone calls, and send a million emails in the languages our community speaks with representation from our community leaders to meet every member of our community where they are and make sure they not only know how to vote in this critical election, but that they actually listen and fight for our communities,” Seshadri added.
He also assured that they will fight for the interests of the community and that voices will be heard in all areas of government and in all parts of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Tung Nguyen, president of PIVOT, The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization, explained that the Vietnamese American voting population has been the most conservative among AAPI communities.
In 2020 and 2022, they implemented a massive bilingual online advertising campaign in English and Vietnamese to persuade voters in swing states, which incorporated young Vietnamese American activists into bilingual online digital campaign organizations.
“We recently conducted some focus groups with these voters to understand where they are coming from. What we learned was that many young Vietnamese American voters are fully behind Harris, but some are abstaining mainly because of the situation in Gaza,” Nguyen said.
He said the goal is to reach every Vietnamese American voter online or through traditional Vietnamese media with English-language ads, many times, “we need to reach them where they are, whether in person or online, in the languages they speak and reach them with correct information on the issues they care about.”
Rina Shah, a Republican strategist who serves on the advisory board of the Renew Democracy Initiative, said that according to a 2024 Pew Research Center report, roughly 40 percent of Americans now consider themselves independents.
She noted that this is a community concerned about economic policies and educational equity, so she said both parties really need to engage more directly with these communities not just through targeted outreach, but also by specifically addressing their needs.
He added that in the 2020 election, many voters chose Biden for president but still supported Republican candidates for Congress.
In that regard, he noted that exit polls from that year show that approximately 9 percent of voters continue to support Republican candidates.
“At the end of the day, what I really want to leave everyone with is that if Republicans are not enthusiastic about their presidential options, but are still alive to the values of the party, they may continue to support Republican candidates for other offices,” concluded Rina Shah.
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, of Nicaraguan and Mexican descent, officially inaugurated the new Sheriff's building on Monday, September 9. Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P.
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, of Nicaraguan and Mexican descent, officially inaugurated the building where the department's offices are centralized on Monday, September 9.
Located at 330 Bradford St. in Redwood City, the new sheriff's headquarters includes the Corpus dispatch as well as a dozen bureaus previously located in different locations around the county.
The new building is named after John Arrillaga Senior, the Silicon Valley real estate professional and philanthropist who died in 2022, whose foundation provided support and funding for its construction. Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P
The modern building is integrated into the Maguire Correctional Facility (the county jail) and was built on the site of the old prison, opposite the Hall of Justice, which until June housed the sheriff's offices.
The ceremony began at 10 a.m. with the raising of the American flag by Sheriff Christina Corpus' Honor Guard, who welcomed those present, after which Chaplain Delores Quigg blessed the facilities.
The ceremony began at 10 a.m. with the raising of the American flag by Sheriff Christina Corpus' Honor Guard, who welcomed those present, after which Chaplain Delores Quigg blessed the facilities. Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P
The sheriff, flanked by members of her staff, used a large pair of golden scissors to cut the ribbon in front of the main entrance to the new five-story building, which is named for John Arrillaga Senior, the Silicon Valley real estate professional and philanthropist who died in 2022 and whose foundation provided support and funding to help it be built.
The sheriff, flanked by members of her top brass, used a huge pair of golden scissors to cut the ribbon in front of the main entrance of the new five-story building. Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P
Corpus is the first female sheriff since San Mateo County and its police force were created in 1856.
In her speech, the sheriff recalled that her career began precisely there in 2002, when she joined the sheriff's office as a correctional officer at the county jail.
Corpus is the first female sheriff since both San Mateo County and its police force were created in 1856. Photo: Raul Ayrala P360PIn her speech, the sheriff recalled that her career began precisely there in 2002, when she joined the sheriff's office as a correctional officer at the county jail. Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P
She also mentioned that “it took 167 years for a woman to be elected sheriff, and the same amount of time for most of the divisions with direct contact with the community to be centralized under one roof.”
He said the new facilities would serve both to accommodate county citizens who need to complete paperwork in an appropriate environment, and to provide his office employees with a more modern and spacious workplace, which would result, he said, in well-being and better opportunities for career advancement.
According to the sheriff's office, the agency currently employs 800 law enforcement officers and civilian personnel whose mission is to provide police services to all cities in the county, Caltrain, SamTrans, the city of San Carlos and the towns of Woodside and Portola Valley, as well as investigative support to San Francisco International Airport.
Corpus also mentioned that “it took 167 years for a woman to be elected sheriff, and the same amount of time for most of the divisions with direct contact with the community to be centralized under one roof.” Photo: Raúl Ayrala P360P
The duties of the Sheriff's Office include protecting life and property, preserving the peace among citizens, enforcing the laws of the State of California and county ordinances, preventing crime, supporting positive youth development, apprehending criminals, supervising and caring for prisoners, coordinating emergency services, and providing security at courthouses, hospitals, and other county offices.
Following racist and hateful interruptions during public comment at open meetings across the Bay Area last year, the Redwood City Council changed its procedures to move comments online until further notice — a move that has had unintended negative consequences.
In light of this, this Monday, September 9, at 6:00 p.m., the Redwood City Council will consider updating the City Council's Activities and Communications Guide.
Families with children are often unable to attend city council meetings in person because they put their children to bed at meeting time, while many workers, especially those in the food industry, are busy, and elderly and/or disabled people have mobility issues or feel unsafe driving at night.
Despite this and the additional barriers to in-person participation, the City Council Governance Subcommittee does not recommend ending the suspension of virtual public comment.
The question is: Should the Council restore access to virtual public comment for families with children, working families, seniors, and people with disabilities?
“I recognize that a small group of individuals have abused the online public comment space with white supremacist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and transphobic comments. I reaffirm that there is no place for hate in Redwood City,” Councilmember Chris Sturken (District 2) told Peninsula 360 Press.
The official said neighboring cities have mandated that the topic, i.e., city business, be kept on topic during public comment, which has successfully kept virtual public comment as an option.
“When we cave to a small group of hateful people, we let them win. They want to silence us, which limits public participation. Please consider the opportunity to conduct virtual public comment in Redwood City and keep the community voice present and inclusive,” Sturken stressed.
To support the return of remote public comment, Councilmembers have called for in-person public comment this Monday, September 9 at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, located at 1017 Middlefield Road, or by emailing publiccomment@redwoodcity.org before 5:00 p.m. this Monday.
The world is eager for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to crush Donald J. Trump at the polls and advance the keynesianism with which the Joe Biden administration opened, promising to prioritize the well-being of workers.
As if having a candidate wasn't enough felon, a showcase of imperial decadence, if Trump wins, the ethics and morals of Steven Bannon, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Steve Miller, Elon Musk, Pieter Thiel and others who are betting on the coronation of Trump as king of the techno monarchy that, with a strong anchor in Silicon Valley, wants to continue with the privatization of everything, would burst onto the scene.
If the United States wants to get out of the hole and out of processes of cultural death and political collapse, it will have to impose regulations, end monopolies and make companies pay taxes, as Bernie Sanders says; otherwise, it will never be able to come close to the quality of life in some industrialized countries, nor will it eliminate the interventionism that has caused so much damage in the world.
Harris and Walz have offered to restore social mobility to the middle class and address the needs of workers, and have asked to wait to win in order to address the genocide in Palestine.
Women, youth, Black and Brown Power, and bourgeois, liberal and centre-left democratic forces feel represented by the platform, the quality of the arguments, and the know-how shown by Kamala Harris, her experience on the streets, in administration and with the people, which will allow her to demolish Trump in the debate, at the polls and in the exercise of government.
It would be a shift on par with Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which could turn the United States into something close to Scandinavia, as Michael Moore wants.
Discontent, the reading that Camilasbooks recommends this Saturday. One, where it says, more than one will feel identified with the situations that Beatriz Serrano, the author of this book, comments on, who tells us the story of Marisa.
When you have to be a responsible adult and start working, it is a big change in people's lives. Being in the working world has its pros and cons and there are times when you can't help but feel tired, have a kind of crisis and say that's enough, I don't want anything else.
That is what Camilasbooks recommends for this Saturday. One that, she says, more than one person will identify with the situations discussed by Beatriz Serrano, the author of this book, who tells us the story of Marisa, a woman in her thirties who lives anaesthetized by tranquilizers and YouTube videos to endure the routines and sorrows of her daily life in an advertising agency.
Marisa hates work. However, she can't leave it: she likes pretty things too much.
It all starts when the protagonist has a meeting that has been organized by the company where she works and where she will spend a weekend with her coworkers, which seems horrible to her and the truth is that it brings her quite a bit of anxiety before arriving at this event.
The story, Camilasbooks points out, is an x-ray of the crisis of any person who works and all the fears that can arise when one is starting out: loneliness, the need to create connections, the need to go out, to create moments that allow you to reconnect or recharge your energies so as not to throw everything out the window.
“That is what the book I am recommending to you today is about. It is a short novel full of humor and the truth is that it will make you have a very interesting and funny time, but it will also leave you with a feeling that will stay with you after finishing this story.”
“When you enter the world of work, you enter with many expectations, with a lot of energy, with the desire to take on the world, but things do not necessarily work out that way or stay that way over time, because when you enter the workforce, you experience a lot of changes, a readjustment in your daily life and, above all, also with the expectations that you have about the world in general.”
Without a doubt, this novel by Beatriz Serrano is one that will make you laugh and have a good time, as well as leaving you with a feeling of recognition.
If you want to know more about this book and others, don't miss Camilasbooks' reviews every Saturday on Península 360 Press.
Un escudo legal que protegía a los agentes de policía de demandas por uso excesivo de la fuerza ha sufrido un duro golpe en San José.
El Tribunal de Apelaciones del Noveno Circuito de Estados Unidos denegó el miércoles la inmunidad calificada a Michael Panighetti, un oficial del Departamento de Policía de San José que disparó a un activista afroamericano, Derrick Sanderlin, en la ingle con una bala de espuma mientras sostenía un cartel en 2020.
El incidente ocurrió durante las protestas locales por el asesinato de George Floyd a manos de la policía de Minneapolis. El fallo permite que la demanda por uso excesivo de la fuerza de Sanderlin siga adelante, a pesar de los esfuerzos de los funcionarios de la ciudad por evitar que siga adelante.
“Estamos contentos de que el caso siga adelante. Ha sido un proceso largo, más de cuatro años en este momento, por lo que todos mis clientes están ansiosos de que su caso finalmente sea escuchado por un jurado”, dijo a San José Spotlight la abogada Sarah Marinho, quien representa a Sanderlin y a otras seis personas en la demanda.
Marinho señaló que espera que el caso avance pronto en los tribunales de primera instancia.
“Estoy esperando en cualquier momento que el juez de primera instancia me dé la fecha del próximo juicio. Eso podría ocurrir dentro de un mes, no hay forma de saber cuándo exactamente”, puntualizó Marinho.
Los jueces de apelación coincidieron con un tribunal inferior al negar la inmunidad a Panighetti y a otros tres agentes demandados por uso excesivo de la fuerza durante la misma protesta en el centro de San José. Sin embargo, en una presentación separada el miércoles, dictaminaron que el tribunal inferior se equivocó al negar la inmunidad calificada al capitán de policía Jason Dwyer, quien estaba a cargo de la respuesta policial durante la protesta.
Los jueces argumentaron que Dwyer no violó los derechos claramente establecidos de nadie, lo cual es un estándar para negar la inmunidad.
El caso vuelve a los juzgados de primera instancia tras un retraso de un año. Otros seis codemandantes también denuncian que la policía empleó fuerza excesiva contra ellos mientras participaban en la protesta. Dicen que la policía les golpeó con proyectiles y dispositivos de control de multitudes. Una demandante, Vera Clanton, afirma que la maltrataron con rudeza y la tiraron al suelo mientras los agentes la arrestaban.
Los incidentes provocaron una presión para prohibir que la policía utilice gases lacrimógenos y proyectiles durante las manifestaciones, y pedidos de que se publiquen imágenes que capturen el uso de la fuerza por parte de la policía en las protestas.
La abogada municipal Nora Frimann se negó a hacer comentarios. Los funcionarios del SJPD también se negaron a comentar el fallo.
Los representantes de la ciudad han argumentado anteriormente que el tiroteo de Sanderlin en mayo de 2020 no fue un uso excesivo de la fuerza ni una represalia o supresión de los derechos de Sanderlin en virtud de la Primera y la Cuarta Enmienda.
Panighetti ha argumentado que no estaba tratando de contener a Sanderlin, sino de obligarlo a abandonar el área. Panighetti también argumentó que Sanderlin estaba impidiendo que los oficiales tomaran medidas contra los sospechosos y que no es una actividad protegida por la constitución.
Sin embargo, a la hora de decidir si el caso merecía ser llevado a juicio, los jueces de apelación dijeron que tenían que analizar los hechos desde una perspectiva que favoreciera más a Sanderlin. También rechazaron la idea de que Panighetti estuviera tratando de obligar a Sanderlin a marcharse.
“El método de fuerza que utilizó Panighetti tiene como objetivo, por su naturaleza, incapacitar a su objetivo, lo que dificulta que pueda alejarse libremente”, escribió la jueza Jacqueline Nguyen en la opinión del tribunal de apelaciones. “Un juez razonable que analizara estas pruebas podría concluir que al disparar un proyectil de 40 mm a la ingle de Sanderlin, Panighetti manifestó objetivamente su intención de inmovilizar a Sanderlin”.
The City of East Palo Alto Public Works Department, in collaboration with the local community, recently installed four new mobile libraries in city parks. Although small, they are gateways to fun, imagination and increased knowledge.
The City of East Palo Alto, in collaboration with the local community, installed four new mobile libraries in city parks.
The city said these libraries are part of an ongoing effort to improve public spaces and provide more resources for residents to enjoy.
The new mobile libraries are located in the following parks:
Jack Ferrell Park
Joel Davis Park
Cooley Landing Park
Newbridge Pocket Park
These libraries are designed to encourage reading, sharing and community engagement, the City of East Palo Alto said.
In that sense, the city invited residents to take a book or leave one for others to enjoy.
By bringing books to the community, the city hopes to promote literacy and foster a love of reading among people of all ages.
So, visit these parks, explore the mobile libraries and share the joy of reading.
Shooting at a school in Georgia has left 4 dead, Christian Angulo was a 14-year-old boy who, although born in the United States, had dual citizenship; his life was taken along with another student and two math teachers. Photo: www.gofundme.com
Listen to this note:
One of the four people killed by Colt Grayel, the 14-year-old suspect in the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, is of Mexican descent. Christian Angulo was a 14-year-old boy who, although born in the United States, had dual citizenship; his life was taken along with another student and two math teachers. Nine other people were injured and taken to the hospital.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), through the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, reported that following the shooting that took place on September 4 at Apalachee High School, the consular representation implemented the emergency response protocol.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of the minor of Mexican nationality and detailed that diplomatic personnel established communication with the minor born in the United States, who unfortunately died in the shooting, in order to provide the necessary support.
The consulate is also in contact with authorities to confirm the health status and nationality of the people hospitalized, and to rule out the possibility of more Mexicans being affected.
“The SRE regrets the death of the Mexican minor and sends its condolences to the family, as well as to the community of Winder, in light of this tragic event,” it said.
The Mexican government also condemned the horrific attack and denounced gun violence, while reiterating its firm commitment to protecting the rights of the Mexican community in the United States.
This is the 384th mass shooting in the United States, 45 of which have occurred in educational institutions, and the 23rd in terms of mass murders, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Colt Gray, described as a quiet 14-year-old boy who had been on the FBI's radar for more than a year, opened fire on students and teachers with a semi-automatic rifle on Wednesday morning.
Gray's four victims were: Christian Angulo, a 14-year-old Latino student of Mexican immigrant descent; Mason Schermerhorn, an African-American student of the same age; and math teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39.
In Christian's case, his older sister, Lisette Angulo, opened a GoFundMe account to support the funeral expenses of the youngest student.
“Hi everyone. My name is Lisette Angulo. I am the older sister of Christian Angulo. Unfortunately my little brother was one of the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting. He was only 14 years old. He was such a good boy and so sweet and caring. He was so loved by so many. His loss was so sudden and unexpected. We are truly heartbroken. He truly did not deserve this. We are kindly asking if you could help us with any donations to help with the expenses of his funeral ceremony due to his loss being so sudden. We appreciate anything you can give. We would also appreciate any prayers at this time. Thank you,” reads the description on the GoFundMe page.
As of Friday morning, just over $145,000 has been raised from 4,169 donors.
For his part, US President Joseph Biden said that together with his wife Jill, he is mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by more senseless gun violence and thinking of all the survivors whose lives have been changed forever.
“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now become another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart. Students across the country are learning to duck and cover instead of learning to read and write. We can no longer accept this as normal,” she stressed.
The president said in a statement that "this crisis (of armed violence) requires even more (action)."
“We must again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” Biden wrote on his X account.
Following Gray's horrific attack, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said the suspect turned himself in when confronted by responding law enforcement officers.
“We’re still trying to sort out a lot of the timeline from the time he arrived at school today to the time the incident occurred,” Hosey said at a news conference late Wednesday night.
However, the Atlanta FBI said on social media that county authorities had interviewed the suspect last year about online threats to commit a school shooting.
Gray's father was arrested Wednesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported that Colin Gray, 54, faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
Gray purchased the gun used in the shooting as a Christmas gift for his son in December 2023. Law enforcement sources revealed the weapon was an AR-15-style rifle.
Ofelia Bello is running for the East Palo Alto City Council, her primary focus will be housing rights, defending tenants' rights to prevent people from becoming homeless.
Social justice is a never-ending task, so it is important to have representatives who care about the needs and rights of all communities, since people have the right to food, housing, medical care, fair wages and a dignified life regardless of their race or culture, said Ofelia Bello, candidate for the East Palo Alto City Council.
“I am passionate about social justice work, being part of positive changes, but at a local level,” said Bello in an interview with Manuel Ortiz, during the Península 360 Press radio program and Hecho en California with Marcos Gutierrez.
Ofelia Bello is running for a seat on the East Palo Alto City Council, as she has worked hand in hand with several organizations for a long time supporting the community, and she herself states that “she feels that she has something to offer to the community to continue with everyone's efforts.”
The member of Young People United for Community Action (YUCA) is also the daughter of two Mexicans, her mother from Guerrero and her father from Michoacán, and it was from them that she learned to always help people regardless of their origins, race or culture.
A fundamental part of his life has been his mother, who has shown him kindness and social commitment without expecting anything in return.
“My mother is my greatest example, she always helps people we know, friends, family, neighbors, people close to us of all races and ethnicities; she seeks to support them and I have always said that I inherited this vocation from my mother.”
The social activist explained that it is important to go out and vote, “let us remember that someone outside is making important decisions for the community, people who sit on the boards of directors, on the Municipal Council, and those who do have the right to vote are letting other people make decisions for each one of them and although electoral politics is not the only way to make changes in the community, it is something that has great value.”
On the other hand, he commented that Last Saturday, August 31, she supported groups of tenants from East Palo Alto who were asking for their right to decent housing to be respected. Fortunately, they obtained the attention of the owners of the houses to make improvements or adjust payments in light of the poor conditions of the properties.
There are about 60 units spread across three buildings. Ofelia Bello explained that they began knocking on doors and explaining the tenants' rights and then people began to unite and take action.
In this regard, a letter has been submitted with a list of demands for administrative improvements, including requests for improved communication, dissemination of information not only in English, and some physical improvements. The letter explains that the tenants want to negotiate in good faith to resolve the problems in a particular way.
Most of the tenants are Hispanic and have a minimal command of English, which causes the documents to be confusing and unclear. In addition, the tenants have suffered harassment and discrimination for wanting to demand their rights, a situation that Bello lamented, while assuring that having a more complete and united group helps combat insecurity and the fear of speaking up.
“It is wonderful to see people come together, and not necessarily just Latinos or Mexicans, for something we all have in common, which is our home, it is something sacred, because everyone deserves a decent, safe and sanitary home regardless of culture or race,” she said.
“I am passionate about social justice work, being part of positive changes, but at a local level.”
If elected, she said, her main focus will be on decent housing rights and defending tenants' rights to prevent people from becoming homeless.
For Ofelia, housing is a primary issue in East Palo Alto and tenants' rights must be defended. "They have the right to demand that these improvements be made and this is usually presented to the City Council, to the Rent Stabilization Working Group, speaking of East Palo Alto, and if these improvements are not made, one possibility is that their rent will be reduced or that they will be reimbursed for what they have invested for each tenant," she concluded.
