Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Fremont

Trisha's Story

"I am a proud Fremont resident. I live in Fremont's Centerville District, and I work in Downtown Fremont. I chose to make Fremont my home because it's a wonderful city to live and work in. I was born and raised in the MidWest. I attended High School in Oklahoma. By the time my sister and I were teenagers, my mother, a nurse, was raising us both on a single parent's salary. Having suffered from a heart attack, my mother worked for years trying to pay off looming hospital bills, while raising two children and trying hard to give us the most comfortable life possible.

My mother, as hard as she worked, had no health benefits, and each month, a large portion of her paycheck would go toward the payment of these healthcare bills. Working double shifts, and sometimes more, my mother's health deteriorated. During my freshman year in college, when I was 17 years old, my sister and I lost our mother to heart disease, and a failed healthcare system.

After the devastating loss, I worked hard to put myself through school. I continued my studies at the University of Oklahoma. Later, I moved to California to finish my studies, and I earned two degrees from California State University, East Bay in Political Science and Multimedia. Watching my mother struggle to balance her healthcare bills and the difficulties that came with raising two teenage daughters gave me an inside look at the struggles that working families deal with everyday. Our family lived those struggles. Through her hard work, determination and caring spirit, my mother inspired me to make a life-long commitment to community and public service."

Public Service

Trisha began her career in public service by advocating for students and working families as a student organizer for the California Faculty Association (CFA). When State Budget cuts threatened the CSU system, she worked to organize students, faculty, and staff around vital issues affecting higher education, including quality, access, and affordability. Trisha's passion for public service did not stop there. She went on to work for Assemblymember John Dutra and currently works with Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico. As his Deputy Chief of Staff, Trisha supervises his District Office in Fremont. Her areas of expertise and outreach include K-12 and Higher Education, Business, Technology, Housing, and Women's issues. She also serves as the Majority Leader's liaison on labor issues.

In 2005, Trisha was a key staffer on legislation that kept millions of dollars of transportation funding in the local area, to help fully fund local transportation projects. Trisha has been able to build and foster valuable regional relationships that will serve Fremont well, and will allow Fremont to be more relevant when regional decisions are being made. In April of 2007, Trisha was unanimously appointed to the Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees, where she is currently the youngest member, and only woman serving on the Board. Over the last year, she was proud to oversee the completion of the first GREEN community college in the entire Country, as well as upgrades to the Fremont campus. Trisha stays very active in the community, and currently serves as an advisory board member to SAVE (Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments) and sits on the Fremont Housing Scholarship Board.