Full Biography for Ruben Barrales

Candidate for
State Controller

RUBEN BARRALES BIOGRAPHY

Ruben Barrales was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in November, 1992. He was reelected for a second term to this county-wide position with 72% of the vote in 1996 and represents over 700,000 people.

Supervisor Barrales has focused on fiscal issues during his service on the Board. He was successful in establishing a debt ratio limit for the County of San Mateo. The four percent (4%) debt cap is the first of its kind for a county in the State of California. San Mateo County shares the distinction of having the best county bond rating in the state.

Barrales also helped create, and served on, an Investment Advisory Committee which reformed the County's investment policies. The Board currently oversees $1.4 billion in pension and investment funds.

Barrales has made strong opposition to the imposition of both a utility tax and business license tax a hallmark of his career.

During his first term in office, Supervisor Barrales was recognized for his leadership in forming a unique coalition of local jurisdictions to bring about an eighty percent (80%) reduction in violent crime in the community of East Palo Alto, which in 1992, was named the "murder capital" of the United States.

Supervisor Barrales is a leader in developing the Garfield Charter School in the predominately Latino neighborhood of east Redwood City. This "charter school" approach, which began in 1994, includes a longer school year, smaller class sizes, new technology, and tough performance standards. This effort has improved the quality of education in a previously under-performing public elementary school.

In 1996 and 1998, Barrales was named "One of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States of America" by Hispanic Business Magazine.

Barrales serves as a Board member and Budget & Audit Committee member for Joint Venture: Silicon Valley in San Jose, and is also on the Boards of the Community Health Project in Palo Alto and the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce. Barrales is also a member of the Republican Local Elected Officials Committee.

Supervisor Barrales holds a joint Bachelor's Degree in Administrative Studies and Political Science from the University of California, Riverside.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Supervisor Barrales is a resident of Redwood City, California, where he lives with his wife Kelly, son Ryan and daughter Rachel.