I am running for Whittier City Council District 1. I was born and raised in Whittier. I attended Whittier schools from Ocean View, to East Whittier Middle School. I graduated Whittier HIgh schools in 1992.

I have an Associates in Business Administration from Rio Hondo College and a Bachelor's in Political Science from Cal State Fullerton.

I have served 9 years total in the US military. The first six years were in the United States Army. I was stationed in South Korea and at Fort Huachuca in Arizona just on US/Mexico border. I have also deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. My primary job was a communications equipment installer and maintainence. If you talked to your loved ones while they were in the field, I was one of the guys who made that possible. We set up the equipment that enabled them to get skype and the lines that allowed General to send orders directly to soldier's in the field.

In addition to my military experience I also have 2 and a half years of experience in office administration. 2 years working in restaurants as a cashier and a server. I've also worked at minimarts.

Over the years I have managed, trained, and supervised at least 500 employees in different companies and agencies.  

Electoral Reform: 

I am running so we can continue the process of electoral reform and to strengthen our democratic process. 

To this end I am pushing for term limits and an independent redistricting commission. 

Term limits must be mandated because politiicians will never retire voluntarily. 

We need an independent commission to carry out redistricting because while the City Council talked about keeping communities of interest together, they did very well at keeping wealthy communities together but in the end they split the low income are of Whittier right in half. The purpose of districts in the first place was to give the poor a voice on the City Council, the creation of the first district map denied them that voice. 

Taking Care of Veterans: 

As a veteran I believe we do need to be active in supporting our veterans. To achieve this I want to build housing in Whittier specifically for our low income and disabled veterans and Whittier really needs a Veterans Recreation Center.

Inclusion: 

I am a supporter of inclusion. Truth be told, I don't come from an immigrant family. My family has lived in the United States since at least the 15th century. These were the people who set up, established, and built the country that all the immigrants are coming to. 

For the purpose of inclusion I am in favor a community assistance program to help immigrants become citizens so they can more fully participate in our process and join our family. I want to establish a community welcome center that would welcome new arrivals to Whittier whether they come from New York, Scotland, or Mexico. 

As part of this process I also want to either build a spanish language branch of our library or at least double the size of the spanish language collection at our central library. I don't speak spanish but I understand from experience that it is kind of hard to join a society when you don't have training materials or help in your own language. We have to reach the people where they are. 

Jobs: 

The city council has done a hell of a job in bringing large corporations to Whittier to refill the city coffers. The problem is that many of those corporations didn't bring any jobs with them. 

What I am in favor of is the support and promotion of small businesses because that is where most jobs come from. We must do what we can to promote local small businesses such as those in Uptown and along Whittier Blvd. 

This is one reason I support the Lincoln Specific Plan on the Nelles site. It will create jobs for members of the lower income class. 

Affordable Housing: 

The City Council has done a heck of a job bringing in new housing developments. This is great news if you don't mind the fact that most of the new housing developments are being marketed to the wealthy and half of them are in a low income area. 

We ought not interfere with this. But it is the other reason I endorsed the Lincoln Specific Plan. During the hearings for this development I directed the Council's attention to the fact that Nelles is located in a low income neighborhood. That the locals would not be able to afford the projeccted costs of either the homes or the new apartments that would be going up. Because of my input, the City Council promised to subsidize housing on the site for those who have low incomes. I fully intend to hold them to that promise. That was the key reason I decided to give my support to the proposal. 

District 1 is primarily a low income district. I have the background to understand the needs of the residents and of the businesses. I grew up in poverty. Going to school while living motel rooms from my 3rd birthday to my 19th birthday. My family slept in the car at many times because we didn't even have money for a hotel room. And there were a lot of times we went without food and our clothes, including our shoes, had holes in them. I was subjected to bullying at school and abuse at home. My dad, Joseph Thomas Canales,  was a truck driver his whole life from 1945 to 2003 and a was retired Teamster. His local was 211 which was merged with Local 63. I have seen that many others have and are going through many of the same experiences, from homelessness, to racism, to bullying on the basis of gender identity. I share their pain because I have actually experienced it myself. 

My experiences have shaped me and focused my goal on making this world better not just for me but for everyone. 

Just as I am transforming, I want to transform Whittier into a better place where everyone is welcome and everyone has an equal voice. 

To do this, I need your help. A generous contribution would greatly assist us in getting the word out and increasing voter turn out in District 1. We need to raise $13,000 to do this. 

This is a low and achievable amount because of the type of district we are running in. It is generally cheaper to run in low income districts than it is to run in more established well to do districts. 

Gifts of at least $25 will get you a special gift from us. The list on the right side of the page lists the amount of the donation and what you will recieve in exchange for it.