What do you do for a living?
Mayor of Watsonville and staff attorney with the Monterey County Superior Court.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing that?
I would be serving as a State Assemblymember in Sacramento to help our state get back on its feet again. That is why I’m currently running for the 28th Assembly District.
What do you do in your free time?
On the campaign trail! But I also love attending cultural events and restoring my 1954 Chevy Bel Air!
What brought you to Santa Cruz (County)?
I was born and raised here in Watsonville. My family originally came to the Salinas Valley as migrant farm workers and set roots in Watsonville in the 1950s.
What’s your favorite street?
I love Main Street in downtown Watsonville. Gotta love the City Plaza on Sunday afternoons!
Name something you’re excited about.
Just started serving as mayor of my hometown. What an honor!
Name a pet peeve.
Not being part of the solution.
What are you reading?
Senator Ted Kennedy’s True Compass and Jonathan Kozol’s The Shame of the Nation.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in the last three years?
“To accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Recent personal food trend?
Home on the range—more home cooking!
