Candidate for
Board Member; Santa Ana Unified School District

I was brought to the United States by my parents when I was 5 years old. I was enrolled at Madison Elementary School where I completed the first 3 years of my elementary education. My second grade teacher, Denise Esparza continues to be a teacher at Madison and is one of my most ardent supporters. I completed my elementary school education at Edison Elementary. I attended Lathrop Intermediate and one year at Saddleback High School before becoming a part of Century High School's first graduating class. I completed my first two years of college at UC Santa Barbara and graduated from U.C.L.A., with a B.A. in History. I was admitted to Whittier Law School where I was a Fellow at the Center for Children's Rights and a Member of the Trial Advocacy Honors Board. While in law school, I was employed by Santa Ana Unified as a substitute teacher, hired by my former intermediate school principal. I graduated from Whittier in May of 2000 and have been practicing law for the past 11 1/2 years. I am married to Alma Hernandez who is a Deputy District Attorney in the County of Riverside, I have 4 sons, Alex (19) attends Santa Ana College, Esteban (12) attends MacArthur Fundamental, Diego (9) and Isai (6), both attend Jim Thorpe Fundamental. My brother David Hernandez is a graduate of Saddleback High School and now works for me after serving 12 years in the United States Marine Corps. My sister Veronica Guillen is also a graduate of Saddleback High School and has been an employee of Santa Ana Unified for over 20 years. My parents Alfredo and Guillermina Hernandez have been married for over 43 years and have been residents of Santa Ana for the past 33 years. I am committed to public education and believe that all of our students in Santa Ana deserve the same or better opportunities afforded to me growing up. I am active in the community serving previously on the YMCA Board, the Hispanic Bar Association, and volunteering as a baseball coach. As a graduate of the Santa Ana Unified School District, I am completely invested in continuing to improve the quality of education we provide.