Vote Menjivar

 Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees Area 2

November 6th, 2012 elections

My name is Randy Reynaldo Menjivar.
I am a candidate on the Green Party ticket
for a seat on the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees
representing Area 2.

 

  • Occupation: Small Business Owner
  • My education and qualifications are: I grew up in the Oakland flatlands.
  • I benefited from my parents’ encouragement and work ethic.
  • I earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College. I also took classes at Laney and Merritt Colleges, so I am familiar with the Peralta District, both as a student and as a community member.

Reduced state funding has led to cuts of hundreds of class sections, counseling hours, and other student services in the Peralta District. In June 2012 voters approved the Measure B parcel tax which makes available $8 million in new revenue each year for 8 years. If elected I will work actively to use Measure B funds to restore full-time and part-time jobs so the District can once again provide quality education for young and older adults. I will also emphasize budget reform and will work with other Peralta Trustees to bring transparency to the Peralta budget.. I will provide oversight to assure the responsible use of Measure B funds. I will emphasize efforts to produce stability for the district. I will be accessible to students, employees, and community members, and will “put the community back in our community colleges.”

I grew up in the flatlands of Oakland in a working-class family, experiencing poverty and violence. My parents hard work ethic, along with mentoring opportunities provided to me, allowed me to attend Merritt College and then successfully graduate from Saint Mary’s College of California. As a college student I organized and led campaigns on issues of educational equality. I have experienced the challenges of growing up in Oakland but also the power that Oakland residents have to make change. Crime, violence, and unemployment have affected us negatively for decades. Our communities have made minimal progress, socially and economically.

Status-quo leadership has left many Oakland residents living like second-class citizens. My combination of education and life-experiences prepares me for leadership now. I want to serve on the Peralta Board to work actively to reverse the cuts to the Community Colleges. I will fight to tax the rich to pay for adequate funding for public education. I will prioritize and emphasize budget reform that will produce stability. I believe in treating Peralta employees and their unions fairly, including engaging in good-faith contract negotiations. I will be accessible to employees and their unions at all times.

The Greens have a slate of candidates proposing social, economic, and political reform in the city of Oakland.
The Oakland Greens seek to create jobs for the community, reduce the crime and violence affecting people of color and the youth, and to stop the privatization that has only provided mass profits to the bankers. Join us in taking back our future and our neighborhoods!

I am asking for your help and your commitment to stand with me as together we fight for equal and quality education; as we fight for equity and justice from banks and corporate Oakland; and to be treated like citizens with much to give to make our communities and the city of Oakland a better place to live, work, and raise our families.