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Detailed Biography for Gerald D. Pera |
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This information is provided by the candidate | ||
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Detailed Biography for Gerald D. Pera |
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This information is provided by the candidate | ||
Born 1935 in California, Gerald D. Pera earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of San Francisco and in 1959 moved with his wife, Eva, to Half Moon Bay, California where their children were born and raised. Starting in 1960, Mr. Pera participated in numerous community activities and programs which helped improve the quality of life for thousands of residents of the mid-Coast area of San Mateo County, California. He coordinated programs for teenagers and other youth from 1960-1968 while founding the Half Moon Bay Parks and Recreation Department. Pera was elected a member of the Half Moon Bay City Council in 1970 and served as the City's mayor 1973-74. As a member of the City Council, Mr. Pera's most significant contribution was in organizing and codifying municipal laws which were formerly thrown indiscriminantly into a file drawer. He also encouraged and aided the start of the Coastside youth soccer program enabling countless young people, including his own grandchildren, to participate in local soccer programs over the years.
In 1981, Gerald Pera was appointed Governor's Executive Fellow and served as a member of the Governor's staff in Sacramento.
In 1977, Mr. Pera was elected to the Board of Directors of the Coastside County Water District where he served until 1991. Feeling a sense of compassion for the poor and homeless, he resigned from the Board to establish a homeless shelter in Half Moon Bay under the direction of an interfaith council of local churches. When the President of the Board of Directors of the Coastside County Water District was killed in a tragic airplane crash in April 1996, Mr. Pera was invited to return to the Board to conclude the President's unexpired term of office, in which position he continues to serve.
As recognition of Gerald Pera's many years of volunteer service to his community, he was presented the Congressional Public Service Award and has also been named Citizen of the Year.
