Candidate for
Board Member; Pasadena Unified School District; Trustee Area 7

My decision to run for the newly created West Pasadena school board seat started with the simple question, "What can we do to help improve public education in Pasadena?" At the urging of numerous friends and colleagues who suggested that my career and life experiences would make a significant impact on the Pasadena school board, I decided to run for PUSD school board and use my abilities and knowledge to make a positive impact for the children and our community.

I care about education because my wife, Rosemarie Becerra-Ayala, and I have two school-aged daughters, Gabriela (10) and Alejandra (9), and believe that every child deserves access to quality public education. After my family and I moved to the Linda Vista neighborhood in June 2004, we learned that our local elementary school would not open in the fall because the school board voted to close it. As a Board Member I will work hard to ensure that West Pasadena has high performing schools that focus on science, technology, and global skills;

I have been practicing law for more than 12 years and have been a solo-practitioner for more than 10 years. Running my own small business has given me a keen awareness of how to make prudent financial decisions and focus on results. I have also taught English as a Second Language to adults over the past decade. That experience has given me a unique understanding of the educational challenges facing our state and the need to ensure that public schools are adequately preparing our students for the world of work in the 21st century.

Prior to practicing law, I externed for the Hon. Harry Pregerson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Steven J. Hillman, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Central District of California. I also worked in as a legislative policy aid for former Los Angeles City Councilmembers Gloria Molina and Mike Hernandez.

I graduated from Santa Clara University Law School and received a law degree. I also graduated from the University of California, Davis, with an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Spanish. Cognizant of the importance of the industrial and emerging countries in world politics and economics, I learned peoples' different perspectives of culture and politics by studying in France, Mexico, Portugal, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I have volunteered as a youth sports coach for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and YMCA basketball. I look forward to more opportunities to serve our community and hope you will join me as we bring positive reform to our public schools.