Full Biography for Tom Pereira

Candidate for
Councilman; City of Santa Clara; Seat 5

Born in 1959, Tom's family already had a strong foothold in the City of Santa Clara. Tom's grandfather, George Pereira, had a bicycle shop in the "old downtown" area. His grandmother, May Pereira, had a women's clothing store. His father, Gilbert Pereira, had a men's clothing store. All of them were an integral part of a thriving downtown.

As the sixties arrived, Tom's father was spearheading an effort to stop the rogue City Council from destroying our downtown, throwing in a sizable amount of his own money. Ultimately, however, the political elite won and the heart of our city was lost forever. In his lifetime, Tom has never encountered a single resident of Santa Clara who believes the loss of our downtown was a good thing; indeed, it is the single greatest tragedy our city has ever suffered. His father lost the fight, but he was right.

Tom began his education by attending St. Clare's Elementary school in Santa Clara. While there, Tom became an altar boy and ultimately was appointed as the sacristan for St. Clare's Church. It was under the care of the nuns and Jesuit priests of St. Clare's that Tom began to form his philosophy for life.

After graduating from St. Clare's, Tom was accepted into Bellarmine College Preparatory, where he continued his Jesuit upbringing. He volunteered as Big Brother in the Big Brother/Sister program. As a student, Tom's fondest memories are of the friends he made and the peace that comes from knowing that you are in a safe school, one where you are free to learn, study and develop into the good, decent human beings we are all destined to become. Tom wants this for his own children, for all of our children, which has prompted his run for political office.

Upon his graduation from Bellarmine, Tom spent a year as a volunteer firefighter in Santa Clara, while working to save money for college. He briefly attended Brigham Young University before deciding to dedicate two years of his life serving others in southern Brasil. Tom believes that it was during this time that he experienced a mighty change of heart, that he became the man he is today.

He relates the story of his time in the city of Lajeado where he encountered a young girl who would change his life forever. If you follow the river to the outskirts of the city, you find a "favela," or slum, where the downtrodden live. A single power line leads to this collection of shacks where hundreds of the poorest of the poor reside, the outcasts of a society gripped in poverty. There is no running water, plumbing, gas lines or any of the other basics we all take for granted. All you find in this part of town is desperation.

Tom met a young black girl huddled behind a bush on the side of the dirt road. The girl shyly giggled as he walked by but did not dare show herself. Tom approached her and found that she was marked with the stain of sickness. Her foot had an open wound on it, the entire top of her foot exposed, maggots crawling all over the devoured mass of flesh. She had leprosy, a disease Tom had thought was long ago banished from this world.

The girl introduced Tom to her family, eighteen strong, living in a one room shack made of scrap wood. Tom spent the next few days with this family, teaching them the principles, values and beliefs that he held. They became a part of his expanded family, the most precious part.

After his initial visit, Tom would return each day and spend time with his new found family. He brought medical supplies, clothing and food for them. One day, he decided he wanted to take this young girl to the hospital for treatment. He had brought boiled, bottled water, along with sterile gauze and antiseptic. He carefully washed the wound on her foot, treated it with the medication and wrapped it in the sterile gauze for the trip to the hospital.

She could not walk so Tom had to carry her to the bus stop, only to discover that they were not anxious to let her on. He bribed the driver and she was let in. Upon arriving at the publicly owned hospital, Tom was equally dismayed to find that she was not welcome there either. Again, with the help of American dollars, she was able to get some minimal treatment. What she could never get nor could money buy, however, was the dignity, compassion and respect she deserved as a member of the human race. This Tom would never forget.

Tom would later meet his wife, Dalva, in Brasil and they were married in June of 1982. Together, they are continuing to raise their five children, four boys and the youngest their only girl, while making a home for their family in the city Tom loves so much. In 1984, Tom was hired by the United States Postal Service in Santa Clara as a Letter Carrier, where he twice served as the Union Shop Steward, the combined USPS/NALC Food Drive Chairman, OWCP and EEO representative and currently works as a supervisor.

In 1987, Tom and Dalva purchased their second home, one in Santa Clara, where they reside to this day. In 1988, Tom ran for City Council, for the first time, against a formidable incumbent. In 1994, he ran for Mayor of Santa Clara against three incumbent Council Members. Again in 1996 Tom ran for City Council. In all three races he proposed sweeping campaign reforms, and cautioned that we were filling what little remaining open space we had with commercial development which was creating a severe housing shortage in our city. This predicted shortage has led to encroachment into our residential neighborhoods from high density housing and continued commercial development. Like his father, however, he lost the fight, but he was right.

Tom has remained active in the community. He served as a Cub Scout leader, Pack Committee Member/Chairman and Boy Scout leader, continuing to support the Scouting Program through annual donations to the Friends of Scouting. He was chairman of the 1995 USPS/NALC Food Drive in the City of Santa Clara, where 15,000 pounds of food were collected for Second Harvest Food Bank. While his two oldest son's briefly attended St. Clare's School, he was elected to the PTA Board. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Santa Clara Sister Cities Association. Tom's oldest son, Daniel, spent three weeks this summer in Santa Clara's Japanese Sister City, Izumo, while they have hosted Japanese students in their own home the last two years.

Their is no shame in fighting for an honorable cause and losing the fight. The tragedy of our democracy is that all too often people of good conscience sit idly by while the political elite and extremists are entrapping us in their own selfish causes on behalf of the few, powerful interests they represent. Tom remembers the lesson of history, one where then future President Abraham Lincoln lost a dozen elections before becoming this country's greatest President. As long as Tom has breath to fight with, he will continue to do battle for what is a moral and just cause, the people's business.

Tom believes ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things when given the opportunity. We deserve a real choice in this election and he can provide that distinction. While others are engaged in building their own cause under the false colors of endorsements by the political elite and special interests, Tom Pereira offers you a positive plan for change. Do not anoint the choice of the politician's. Vote for Tom Pereira. The People's Choice.