Candidate for
Council Member; City of Hayward

Mark Salinas is a Hayward native. His parents moved here in the 1950s and he was born at St. Rose Hospital. Mark grew up in the Schafer Park neighborhood and attended local schools before going on to earn Bachelor's and Master's degrees from San Francisco State University. He now makes his home in downtown Hayward with his wife Lety.

Mark teaches at Chabot, Las Positas and Laney Community Colleges and periodically gives courses at California State University East Bay. His career as a college instructor includes teaching in all three of California's public higher education systems + the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges.

For the last two years, Mark has also served as Executive Director of The Kids' Breakfast Club, responsible for all of its operations and for raising its $100,000 dollar annual budget. A non-profit organization, The Kids' Breakfast Club feeds thousands of Hayward children and their families every year. Mark began volunteering with The Kids' Breakfast Club while in college and after joined its Board of Directors in 2002.

Mark credits his parents with his dedication to education and his commitment to public service. His father went back to finish high school at the age of 22, attended community college, and eventually earned a degree at the University of San Francisco while pursuing a career in law enforcement. His mother actively participated in St. Bede Church committees, was the first woman president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County, and she currently works for Alameda County and attends church at All Saints Church.

In addition to his work with The Kids' Breakfast Club, Mark serves with many other local groups including the HUSD Measure I Oversight Committee, the Latino Business Round Table, of which he was a founding member, and the Chabot College Puente Project, where he is a Mentor and Member of the Advisory Board.

Mark has also served on the HUSD Recovery Advisory Group and on the Advisory Boards of the Zucchini Festival and Sun Gallery, Hayward's longest standing non-profit arts organization, and has worked for more than twenty years in local political campaigns.