9 Fil-Ams on the ballot in San Mateo County
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - San Mateo County voters who have done their homework will know that nine Filipino Americans from their area are on the ballot in the November 4 elections.
By 2010 some 754,285 are reported living in San Mateo County, where the most populous city with 108,383 residents is Daly City and the smallest with 1,637 is Colma, according to county records. Filipinos reportedly comprise 10 percent of residents, with over 30 percent composing Daly City's population.
The median age of San Mateo County residents was estimated at 39.9 years in 2008, older than the 34.9 years in California and 36.9 years for the entire nation, according to the same records. Almost one-fourth its residents are 19 years old or younger, and 19 percent were 60 years and older.
The candidates reflect the demographics. Majority are incumbent and one is vying for a regional post he claimed as an unopposed representative of his party in the April primaries.
Assembly
Aiming for the highest seat is Rene Pineda, GOP challenger for Assembly District 19 occupied by former San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting. Pineda is a systems engineer and a bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who describes himself as a "proud Republican." Pineda settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 from Sydney by way of Bahrain, where he worked at the government's computer center.
Children are Pineda's priority. As an advocate for the youth, he said he would "do all things possible to give them the resources they need to be successful in their studies and future careers." He would like to help newcomers especially the elderly to "seek greater opportunity" in their adopted country.
District 19 encompasses parts of Daly City and San Francisco where once it covered wholly San Mateo County. Redistricting slashed the jurisdiction and became a flashpoint for Filipino American political leaders who accused officials of gerrymandering. The remap foiled Assembly hopes of several San Mateo County aspirants, but it is no barrier to the dauntless Pineda, a resident of South San Francisco.
Harbor district
Up for countywide approval as well is Robert Bernardo, who is defending his four-year post as a commissioner with the San Mateo County Harbor District. Bernardo is current president of the commission, which oversees the operation of two public harbors: Oyster Point Marina in South San Francisco and Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay.
Elected in his first campaign in 2011, Bernardo credits himself for "championing a comprehensive plan to pay off the District’s $19.7 million debt a year ahead of schedule"' and leading efforts to receive a "first-ever Clean Marina” certification for environmental stewardship on top of improving rescue operations and emergency preparedness for sea level rise.
The District has been wracked by internal conflict, which has not diminished Bernardo's desire to continue serving on board.
If elected, Bernardo — the area's first openly gay elected Filipino American — vowed to lead to fruition a Harbor District Strategic Plan to "create a sustainable blueprint for the District’s finances, infrastructure, recreational, and commercial fishing operations with the goal of making our harbors outstanding destinations."
City Councils
The City Councils of the northernmost towns are agog with campaigning Fil-Am officials including the seniormost in terms of tenure.
Lawyers Mike Guingona and Ray Buenaventura lead incumbents contesting three open seats in Daly City. While the two should have no problem retaining their seats with no other incumbent in contention, former colleague Judith Christensen wants another go on the council and retiring colleague Carol Klatt has endorsed a fresh candidate, Tom Ledda.
Current Jefferson Elementary School District Board member Joseph Otayde, whose term expires next year, pulled preliminary papers as candidate for the city council but did not follow through on the qualification process.
Council member Guingona, 52, hopes to win a sixth term, but insiders believe this campaign may be his dry run for higher office.
Next year, San Mateo County residents will be voting for their supervisors by the district, making campaigns more affordable for less-funded aspirants. The timing could not be more ideal for a potential contender like Guingona with Supervisor Adrienne Tissier termed out as representative of District 5, which covers Daly City, Colma Brisbane, parts of San Bruno and South San Francisco, and unincorporated Broadmoor Village.
Guingona has neither confirmed nor denied his plans beyond 2014 to Philippine News, however.
His agenda for the town he has served since 1996 includes "public safety, affordable housing and increased recreational opportunities for seniors and youth."
The criminal justice attorney, who worked with the Public Defender's office in San Francisco for nine year, is in private practice in San Francisco. He is a master martial artist, specializing in judo as a certified national level coach with the rank of sandan or third-degree black belt.
His is married to the former Jackie Castillejo, a stage director, former champion tennis player and his biggest campaigner. He is proud dad to his son Kai, 15, a sophomore at Riordan High and a martial artist like his father.
Council member Buenaventura, 50, is fresh from his thwarted aspiration to be the first Fil-Am judge in the county, a heartbreaking loss more for his supporters who believed they had the best qualified candidate.
A private defender contracted by the county, Buenaventura said he would continue working for a "balanced budget, public safety and maintain core services" for his town, where he has lived since 1997 to open his private practice. He and wife Cathy have a son, Max, 11.
The law professor was born in the Philippines and immigrated with his parents when his banker father was assigned to the United States by the Philippine National Bank. Then-11-year-old Buenaventura adjusted immediately. He later attended UC Berkeley and became a deputy at the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office. His eye turned to politics only after returning to the Bay Area 20 years ago and meeting Alice Bulos at the height of her political activism.
To this day, Bulos seeks out her protege, even offering to write his endorsement letter now that she is less mobile.
Buenaventura has only been in elected office for three years, having been appointed to a vacancy in 2011 when his predecessor was convicted for workmen's compensation fraud. He topped the race to keep his seat and has steadily won allies for his accessibility and attentiveness, voted by his colleagues as mayor in his first term.
Like Buenaventura, Joanne del Rosario rose to prominence to restore her town's faith in its officials.
The New York-born, Manila-educated executive assistant obliged the appeal of Filipino American community leaders of Colma to give them voice in the governing body.
Though exposed to politics and public service being the youngest sister to current Philippine Foreign Secretary and past Ambassador to Washington D.C., Del Rosario did not think she would succeed in her first campaign.
Neither did she expect two members of her town council facing legal charges and ethical accusations, forcing the vice mayor to retire and putting the mayor's tax returns in question. When the voting was counted, del Rosario's name was in the winning column, making her the first FilAm woman elected in Colma. When the council voted for her as mayor in 2009, she became the first FilAm woman to hold the title in all nine counties. She was mayor again last year.
Colma is a tiny town of less than 2,000 residents, and that's just fine for those who chose to settle in with their growing families. To them, del Rosario promises to work "diligently to ensure the stability of our town in order to weather this (economic) crisis by reviewing and restructuring how we presently do business and creating an economic development plan for the future, so that we can continue to maintain and improve our quality of life."
Del Rosario, 61, is married to Rene Malimban of the State Board of Equalization.
School boards
Sisterhood is a value treasured by Filipinos.
Before corporate lawyer Rachel Puno-Juliana moved to New Jersey with her lawyer-husband Chuck Juliana, she endorsed a colleague, then single Katharine Zarate Dulany to her post as a trustee with the Jefferson Union High School District Board in 2007.
"She is a wonderful person and an ideal representative," Puno-Juliana advised her circle of friends.
The community agreed and elected Zarate Dulany a few months after she was appointed to take over the seat vacated by Puno-Juliana, the first Filipino American woman elected in San Mateo County. She was elected conclusively in 2008 and then again in 2010. As testament of their trust, the board chose the Dagupan City-born lawyer to be their president in 2010.
Zarate Dulany, 38, is an law and business litigation attorney who honed her skills in the corporate sector before going into private practice just this summer in Daly City, where she lives with her husband David Dulany and their two young sons.
“I have always been passionate about increasing the pipeline of educated minorities who will be our future leaders, professionals, and artisans,” Zarate Dulany shared her motivation with Philippine News.
“JUHSD serves a significant percentage of minority students, particularly Filipino students, and I felt a deep calling to represent the voice of Filipinos and other minority groups as a leader in education.”
Paying her victories forward, Zarate Dulany supported the candidacy of another Filipina American, Rosie Tejada, for a seat that opened on the board in March. Zarate Dulany also has endorsed her colleague's first campaign for election next month.
Tejada, 50, is a senior litigation secretary with an international law firm and a single parent to a son and a daughter, both students in the district. Tejada also is a product of the Jefferson Union High School District.
"Our public schools are diverse and offer a topnotch education," Tejada gave the outlook for her district. "In the last few years, we have been in survival mode. Funding has been a challenge, but we have a little stability right now. We need to work on trying to pay our teachers the salaries that they deserve to keep our schools strong. We also need to do a better job of marketing our successes and letting the community know what the many advantages JUHSD students receive."
The San Francisco native who later relocated to Daly City points makes it a point to name her parents as her heroes. She said she follows in the footsteps of her father, a former Philippine Scout and POW in World War II, who continues to volunteer at the age of 91. Meanwhile her mother has modeled fortitude, caring for Tejada and her four siblings while their father was away at sea with the U.S. Navy.
Like Tejada, Joy Gutierrez-Pilare applied and was appointed to her current seat on the Bayshore Elementary School District Board before being elected last November. The executive assistant with The Permanente Group served the rest of the term of her predecessor and had to run again to continue for a full four-year term.
Pilare's district is small compared to its neighbors, which appeals to Pilare, who drew up in the area and attended the district elementary and intermediate schools. Her children are currently studying at the same schools, she said.
"Through the years, I’ve seen our small community expand into the hills and grow into the future, (such as) the extension of Martin and Carter Street and the creation of the Bayshore Community Center, library, and fire station," she told Philippine News. "But the one thing that has not changed over the years is the heart of this community. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up in the District and am glad that both of my children have had that same opportunity."
Pilare, who is married to freelance web illustrator Gerard Pilare, touts her administrative skills as suited to her post.
"I hope my years of experience in administration, event planning, and bringing people together will help to provide a safe and secure environment for our children," she said.
"By improving our schools, we can bring our community together, enrich our children and improve their chances for a better and brighter future." —Philippine News
By 2010 some 754,285 are reported living in San Mateo County, where the most populous city with 108,383 residents is Daly City and the smallest with 1,637 is Colma, according to county records. Filipinos reportedly comprise 10 percent of residents, with over 30 percent composing Daly City's population.
The median age of San Mateo County residents was estimated at 39.9 years in 2008, older than the 34.9 years in California and 36.9 years for the entire nation, according to the same records. Almost one-fourth its residents are 19 years old or younger, and 19 percent were 60 years and older.
The candidates reflect the demographics. Majority are incumbent and one is vying for a regional post he claimed as an unopposed representative of his party in the April primaries.
Assembly
Aiming for the highest seat is Rene Pineda, GOP challenger for Assembly District 19 occupied by former San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting. Pineda is a systems engineer and a bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who describes himself as a "proud Republican." Pineda settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 from Sydney by way of Bahrain, where he worked at the government's computer center.
Children are Pineda's priority. As an advocate for the youth, he said he would "do all things possible to give them the resources they need to be successful in their studies and future careers." He would like to help newcomers especially the elderly to "seek greater opportunity" in their adopted country.
District 19 encompasses parts of Daly City and San Francisco where once it covered wholly San Mateo County. Redistricting slashed the jurisdiction and became a flashpoint for Filipino American political leaders who accused officials of gerrymandering. The remap foiled Assembly hopes of several San Mateo County aspirants, but it is no barrier to the dauntless Pineda, a resident of South San Francisco.
Harbor district
Up for countywide approval as well is Robert Bernardo, who is defending his four-year post as a commissioner with the San Mateo County Harbor District. Bernardo is current president of the commission, which oversees the operation of two public harbors: Oyster Point Marina in South San Francisco and Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay.
Elected in his first campaign in 2011, Bernardo credits himself for "championing a comprehensive plan to pay off the District’s $19.7 million debt a year ahead of schedule"' and leading efforts to receive a "first-ever Clean Marina” certification for environmental stewardship on top of improving rescue operations and emergency preparedness for sea level rise.
The District has been wracked by internal conflict, which has not diminished Bernardo's desire to continue serving on board.
If elected, Bernardo — the area's first openly gay elected Filipino American — vowed to lead to fruition a Harbor District Strategic Plan to "create a sustainable blueprint for the District’s finances, infrastructure, recreational, and commercial fishing operations with the goal of making our harbors outstanding destinations."
City Councils
The City Councils of the northernmost towns are agog with campaigning Fil-Am officials including the seniormost in terms of tenure.
Lawyers Mike Guingona and Ray Buenaventura lead incumbents contesting three open seats in Daly City. While the two should have no problem retaining their seats with no other incumbent in contention, former colleague Judith Christensen wants another go on the council and retiring colleague Carol Klatt has endorsed a fresh candidate, Tom Ledda.
Current Jefferson Elementary School District Board member Joseph Otayde, whose term expires next year, pulled preliminary papers as candidate for the city council but did not follow through on the qualification process.
Council member Guingona, 52, hopes to win a sixth term, but insiders believe this campaign may be his dry run for higher office.
Next year, San Mateo County residents will be voting for their supervisors by the district, making campaigns more affordable for less-funded aspirants. The timing could not be more ideal for a potential contender like Guingona with Supervisor Adrienne Tissier termed out as representative of District 5, which covers Daly City, Colma Brisbane, parts of San Bruno and South San Francisco, and unincorporated Broadmoor Village.
Guingona has neither confirmed nor denied his plans beyond 2014 to Philippine News, however.
His agenda for the town he has served since 1996 includes "public safety, affordable housing and increased recreational opportunities for seniors and youth."
The criminal justice attorney, who worked with the Public Defender's office in San Francisco for nine year, is in private practice in San Francisco. He is a master martial artist, specializing in judo as a certified national level coach with the rank of sandan or third-degree black belt.
His is married to the former Jackie Castillejo, a stage director, former champion tennis player and his biggest campaigner. He is proud dad to his son Kai, 15, a sophomore at Riordan High and a martial artist like his father.
Council member Buenaventura, 50, is fresh from his thwarted aspiration to be the first Fil-Am judge in the county, a heartbreaking loss more for his supporters who believed they had the best qualified candidate.
A private defender contracted by the county, Buenaventura said he would continue working for a "balanced budget, public safety and maintain core services" for his town, where he has lived since 1997 to open his private practice. He and wife Cathy have a son, Max, 11.
The law professor was born in the Philippines and immigrated with his parents when his banker father was assigned to the United States by the Philippine National Bank. Then-11-year-old Buenaventura adjusted immediately. He later attended UC Berkeley and became a deputy at the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office. His eye turned to politics only after returning to the Bay Area 20 years ago and meeting Alice Bulos at the height of her political activism.
To this day, Bulos seeks out her protege, even offering to write his endorsement letter now that she is less mobile.
Buenaventura has only been in elected office for three years, having been appointed to a vacancy in 2011 when his predecessor was convicted for workmen's compensation fraud. He topped the race to keep his seat and has steadily won allies for his accessibility and attentiveness, voted by his colleagues as mayor in his first term.
Like Buenaventura, Joanne del Rosario rose to prominence to restore her town's faith in its officials.
The New York-born, Manila-educated executive assistant obliged the appeal of Filipino American community leaders of Colma to give them voice in the governing body.
Though exposed to politics and public service being the youngest sister to current Philippine Foreign Secretary and past Ambassador to Washington D.C., Del Rosario did not think she would succeed in her first campaign.
Neither did she expect two members of her town council facing legal charges and ethical accusations, forcing the vice mayor to retire and putting the mayor's tax returns in question. When the voting was counted, del Rosario's name was in the winning column, making her the first FilAm woman elected in Colma. When the council voted for her as mayor in 2009, she became the first FilAm woman to hold the title in all nine counties. She was mayor again last year.
Colma is a tiny town of less than 2,000 residents, and that's just fine for those who chose to settle in with their growing families. To them, del Rosario promises to work "diligently to ensure the stability of our town in order to weather this (economic) crisis by reviewing and restructuring how we presently do business and creating an economic development plan for the future, so that we can continue to maintain and improve our quality of life."
Del Rosario, 61, is married to Rene Malimban of the State Board of Equalization.
School boards
Sisterhood is a value treasured by Filipinos.
Before corporate lawyer Rachel Puno-Juliana moved to New Jersey with her lawyer-husband Chuck Juliana, she endorsed a colleague, then single Katharine Zarate Dulany to her post as a trustee with the Jefferson Union High School District Board in 2007.
"She is a wonderful person and an ideal representative," Puno-Juliana advised her circle of friends.
The community agreed and elected Zarate Dulany a few months after she was appointed to take over the seat vacated by Puno-Juliana, the first Filipino American woman elected in San Mateo County. She was elected conclusively in 2008 and then again in 2010. As testament of their trust, the board chose the Dagupan City-born lawyer to be their president in 2010.
Zarate Dulany, 38, is an law and business litigation attorney who honed her skills in the corporate sector before going into private practice just this summer in Daly City, where she lives with her husband David Dulany and their two young sons.
“I have always been passionate about increasing the pipeline of educated minorities who will be our future leaders, professionals, and artisans,” Zarate Dulany shared her motivation with Philippine News.
“JUHSD serves a significant percentage of minority students, particularly Filipino students, and I felt a deep calling to represent the voice of Filipinos and other minority groups as a leader in education.”
Paying her victories forward, Zarate Dulany supported the candidacy of another Filipina American, Rosie Tejada, for a seat that opened on the board in March. Zarate Dulany also has endorsed her colleague's first campaign for election next month.
Tejada, 50, is a senior litigation secretary with an international law firm and a single parent to a son and a daughter, both students in the district. Tejada also is a product of the Jefferson Union High School District.
"Our public schools are diverse and offer a topnotch education," Tejada gave the outlook for her district. "In the last few years, we have been in survival mode. Funding has been a challenge, but we have a little stability right now. We need to work on trying to pay our teachers the salaries that they deserve to keep our schools strong. We also need to do a better job of marketing our successes and letting the community know what the many advantages JUHSD students receive."
The San Francisco native who later relocated to Daly City points makes it a point to name her parents as her heroes. She said she follows in the footsteps of her father, a former Philippine Scout and POW in World War II, who continues to volunteer at the age of 91. Meanwhile her mother has modeled fortitude, caring for Tejada and her four siblings while their father was away at sea with the U.S. Navy.
Like Tejada, Joy Gutierrez-Pilare applied and was appointed to her current seat on the Bayshore Elementary School District Board before being elected last November. The executive assistant with The Permanente Group served the rest of the term of her predecessor and had to run again to continue for a full four-year term.
Pilare's district is small compared to its neighbors, which appeals to Pilare, who drew up in the area and attended the district elementary and intermediate schools. Her children are currently studying at the same schools, she said.
"Through the years, I’ve seen our small community expand into the hills and grow into the future, (such as) the extension of Martin and Carter Street and the creation of the Bayshore Community Center, library, and fire station," she told Philippine News. "But the one thing that has not changed over the years is the heart of this community. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up in the District and am glad that both of my children have had that same opportunity."
Pilare, who is married to freelance web illustrator Gerard Pilare, touts her administrative skills as suited to her post.
"I hope my years of experience in administration, event planning, and bringing people together will help to provide a safe and secure environment for our children," she said.
"By improving our schools, we can bring our community together, enrich our children and improve their chances for a better and brighter future." —Philippine News
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