Buenaventura is running for a Daly City Council seat while Amistad is vying for a place in the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees.
Buenaventura, an attorney by profession, was appointed to the Daly City Council when former councilmember Maggie Gomez vacated her seat in February of this year. He is hoping to become the permanent replacement of Gomez in the Daly City Council whose term runs until 2014.
According to Buenaventura’s website, his goal as a member of the City Council is to help make Daly City better everyday.
“We must continue to fund and support public safety to ensure that the crime rate steadily decreases. We must enact policies that maintain our high quality of life and strengthen efforts to encourage economic development so that we can continue to support programs we cherish as a community. We must also make tough choices so that we can get the budget on track,” he explained in his message to friends in his website’s home page.
The Certified Criminal Law Specialist also stressed that Daly City needs to attract more businesses and help local businesses thrive in order to further foster the city’s economy, which is what he is prepared to do.
“I want to bring a Filipino Cultural Center to our city as a hub for both Filipino residents and businesses. I want Daly City to be known as not just a ‘gateway’ to the Peninsula, but a ‘jewel” of the Peninsula. I want Daly City to be a must-see, must-do place for everyone. We have so much potential as a city. The time to act is now!” he said in the same message.
The 14-year Daly City resident added that the “our city is an amazing place to live (in), a wonderful place to work (in), and a perfect place to raise a family. However, I strongly believe that there is more that we can do.”
Prior to being appointed to the Daly City Council, Atty. Buenaventura served as a Daly City Library Board Trustee. He has also held positions in many community groups, including the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, Pin@y Educational Partnerships, Knights of Columbus Foundation, Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County, Filipino American Democratic Caucus, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the California Democratic Party, and the Democratic Central Committee of San Mateo County.
Among those who have endorsed his candidacy include US Congresswoman Jackier Speier; State Senator Leland Yee; Assemblymembers Fiona Ma and Jerry Hill; San Mateo County Supervisors Don Horsley and Adrienne Tissier; Daly City Councilmembers Carol Klatt, Sal Torres, Michael Guingona and David Canepa; and State Commissioner Ray Satorre.
Meanwhile, Fel Amistad is running for an opening in the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees. He is a college educator and is a member of the Commission on Disabilities of San Mateo County.
In his website, Amistad lists the following as his top priorities: improving academic achievement for all students (raise test scores, maintain high quality education, retain the best teachers); closing the achievement gap and collaborating with teachers, administrators and parents to ensure students’ success in the classroom; investing in advanced school equipment and digital technology; improving existing school sites (new computer stations and up-to-date equipment for students and teachers); becoming a proactive trustee and an advocate for student success in the Arts, Math and Science; and prioritizing fiscal accountability (working with local officials to ensure road safety and crossings for students).
If elected to the San Mateo Foster City School Board, Amistad promises to be “accountable, accessible, sensitive to all issues, advocate for excellence in education, be a good listener, and perform his duties while keeping the children in mind.”
“All children deserve the best education,” he writes in his website. “Students deserve proactive, experienced leadership with tested financial and educational knowledge. Investing in better educational resources will provide efficient and conducive learning environment. As a parent of a daughter who attended the district’s schools, I have the experience and the passion to successfully help our students, and their parents or guardians.”
Amistad’s other volunteer and community work include membership in the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury, election officer/precinct judge for the San Mateo County Elections Office, PTSO vice president and program coordinator for Hillsdale High School, and past president of the Lions Club (West of Twin Peaks), Jaycess and Friends of FilAm Community.
The Stanford University graduate’s endorsements list include Assemblymembers Jerry Hill, Fiona Ma and Paul Fong; San Mateo County Supervisors Don Horsley and Adrienne Tissier; San Mateo Harbor Commissioner Robert Bernando; San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee Memo Morales; San Mateo Mayor Jack Matthews and Councilmember John Lee; South San Francisco Mayor Kevin Mullin; Daly City Councilmembers Carol Klatt, Michael Guingona, Ray Buenaventura and David Canepa; and Menlo Park Councilmember Kelly Ferguson.
To learn more about current Daly City Councilmember Buenaventura, visit www.raybuenaventura.com. For more on Commissioner Fel Amistad, visit www.electprofessoramistad.com.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend Nov. 5-8, 2011 Section A, page 5)
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