Fue Xiong for Merced City Council District 6
Fue is the proud son of a working-class Hmong family. 31-year-old Xiong was born in Thailand and his family came to the United States in 1992 as refugees, settling in Merced. Growing up in Merced Fue has seen firsthand how the city has changed and how it has stagnated. Fue is an engineer and leader with PowerCA Action who has advocated with us in local city budget fights demanding Merced City Council invest in housing, youth services, and inclusionary zoning.
Fue’s priorities include, affordable housing for working families, public safety for our neighborhoods, investment for young people to have the resources they need to reach their full potential, and for a Merced that puts community first in every development and policy decision.
Genoveva Islas for Fresno Unified School District, Trustee Area 4 (Re-election)
Genoveva (Veva) Islas currently serves as a Fresno Unified School District Board Member, representing Area 4.
Genoveva was born in Fresno, California and grew up in small rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley; her parents were farm laborers. Genoveva is the first in her family to attend college and graduate with an advanced degree. Genoveva is the Founder & Executive Director of Cultiva La Salud; a public health advocacy non-profit based in Fresno, California. Genoveva is a recognized Culture of Health Leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and an Aspen Institute, Healthy Communities Fellow.
Genoveva was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley board and in the past was also appointed to the Health Benefit Exchange Board for California (Covered CA).
Randy Villegas for Visalia Unified School District, Trustee Area 6 (Re-election)
The son of immigrants from Mexico, Dr. Randy Villegas was raised in the Central Valley and is proud to call Visalia home. Throughout his life Randy has been a champion for students, public education, equity, and the Central Valley. As a 1st generation college graduate and now professor at College of the Sequoias, Randy recognizes the challenges and experiences that students in our community are facing, and wants to ensure every student has the resources they need to succeed.
As a trustee, Dr. Villegas has been at the forefront of increasing transparency, accountability and student success. Advocating for increased A-G, and CTE pathways for students, he wants to ensure that every student in VUSD from TK-to the Adult school feels valued, cared for, and connected to their schools.
Emmanuel Soto for Visalia City Council, District 4
Emmanuel Soto is a first generation Latino leader, and is proud to call Visalia his home. Emmanuel’s parents immigrated from Mexico to provide Emmanuel and his siblings more opportunities in life. Emmanuel pursued his education and was the first in his family to graduate from College of the Sequoias and later, UC San Diego.
After graduating from UC San Diego, Emmanuel moved back home and worked for CSET(Community, Service, Education, Training) a local non profit that provides job training, housing, youth development, and others services to help the community. Emanuel currently works at Self Help Enterprises which helps with low income housing and community development in rural areas of the central valley, mainly helping communities attain safe drinking water using state funds.
Bryan Osorio for Delano City Council (Re-election)
Bryan Osorio is running for re-election to Delano’s City Council. As the son of immigrants, Bryan’s first-generation experience has served as motivation for his community involvement and advocacy. Raised in Delano, Bryan attended public schools and graduated from Cesar Chavez High School. As the first in his family to go to college, Bryan earned his Bachelor’s joint degree in Political Science and Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley and his Master’s degree from USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. After finishing his undergraduate education in 2018, Bryan ran for Delano’s City Council and was elected with the most votes in the local election. In 2020, Bryan was appointed Mayor, a position which he still holds today. As a council member and Mayor, Bryan has been a champion for immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and working-class Delano residents. Bryan is running for re-election to continue the vision he promised Delano residents four years ago, one centered on equity for Delano’s working families.
Gloria Soto for Santa Maria District Council District 3 (Re-Election)
Gloria Soto currently serves as a Santa Maria City Council Member for District 3.
Gloria was born, raised, and educated in Santa Maria. She is the daughter of immigrant farm-worker parents, who made numerous sacrifices to ensure she would have a better life.
Gloria has dedicated her young professional career to serving her community. She is currently the Executive Director of Future Leaders of America (FLA) Before joining the FLA team, Gloria served in various positions at Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC).
In 2018, Gloria was the youngest woman elected to the Santa Maria City Council as part of the national wave of young women of color seeking representation in local governments.