“I grew up on a vineyard and spent many winters and summers helping my father and working in the vineyard myself,” Ortiz said.
He was first appointed in 2021, when Sheriff John Robertson resigned after 40 years in law enforcement. Mr. Ortiz previously served as chief of the American Canyon Police Department.
A year later, Ortiz ran to defend his seat and won with 60% of the vote.
Ortiz said the most important qualities for elected officials are job skills, knowledge and preparation. He added that representation is important and that he hopes to see an increasing percentage of Latinos in leadership positions with each generation.
As for why the percentage of Latinos in Napa County as a whole is more than twice that of Sonoma County, Latino families in Napa County have a longer history with local vineyards and wineries, and their communities are multigenerational from immigrants. He said they may have transitioned to residency sooner. .
practice range
Efforts are underway to address several barriers and increase civic engagement and voter registration among Latinos in the region.
Los Cien, a local Latino leadership organization, is building a training ground for local leaders with the goal of identifying future candidates from underrepresented communities in the region.
The program focuses on preparing people to serve on boards, foundations, and nonprofit boards, including topics such as nonprofit board governance, Robert’s Rules of Order, how to view and obtain a budget, and more. Includes a 3-month civics bootcamp to teach people. Appointed to the committee.
Winning a seat on a committee or board is often the first step toward higher elected office.
“This is really a stepping stone, it’s not as difficult, it’s more doable, it’s more realistic,” said Rossien CEO Hernandez.
He gives the example of a local foundation that supports youth sports, where you can develop skills such as diplomacy, fundraising and interacting with other community members.
“This is valuable education that prepares you to run for school board or city council,” he says.
Los Cien is also preparing a study to assess the demographics of nonprofit organizations in Sonoma County and is creating a committee to establish a “baseline” of representation for these organizations.
“We want to change that landscape,” he said. “We have 30% (of the population) in Sonoma County, so we would like to see 30%, at least 30% of nonprofit boards and committees be Latino (pronounced la-ˈ-ti-ne). , I know it’s not. ”
Banuelos, an SRJC board member and community advocate, said as the local Latino community continues to grow, it is important to encourage future leaders to become civically engaged.
She has started running again for city council. This time it was over a vacant seat in District 5 in downtown Santa Rosa. She chose not to run for another term on the junior college board because redistricting placed her in the same district as another board member friend. Who is Latina?
His opponent in the city council race, Jeremy Newton, is running for public office for the first time. Newton, who is black, is a former Navy fighter pilot and current captain for United Airlines. He has a lot of great support from elected officials in the area.
Banuelos is supported by the Sonoma County Democratic Party.
If she wins, she will be the first openly Latina person on the council. Maureen Casey, a half-Mexican woman who served on the city council in the early 1990s, was virtually the first Latina woman to serve on the city council, but she was largely unrecognized at the time.
“The need for representation is greater than ever and I hope more people come forward in the coming years, because we need them,” she said. “The community is changing, and we must change with it.”
Press Democrat intern Anna Fingerson, web developer George Beuse, and reporters Jennifer Thorney and Edward Booth contributed to this article.
Contact Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.
Contact Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. X on Twitter @paulinapineda22.
Editor’s note: This article has been revised with additional information regarding the District 5 Santa Rosa City Council race between Caroline Banuelos and Jeremy Newton.
