Candidate for
Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of San Mateo; Supervisorial District 5

ABOUT JUDITH

Judith as a community leader

She has been a local and statewide leader in the struggle to protect our homes and businesses from eminent domain seizures. She and fellow Central Committee candidates Dana Smith and Annette Hipona are responsible for having the State Democratic Platform include ending eminent domain abuse and protecting our homes. All three worked to past laws which now protect our homes.

Judith is the recipient of the Peninsula Interfaith Action 2008 Community Hero Award for her work supporting social justice and affordable housing for our working families and seniors.

Judith continues to be an ardent protector of the public's right to be informed. She encourages the public to use the Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act to demand access to public information that some officials would just as soon keep hidden.

Judith served as an elected Daly City Councilmember and is active in her union, United Educators, Local 61, and was elected by the nearly 6,000 members to represent them on the Executive Board and recently as their representative to the San Francisco Labor Council.

Judith is an active Democrat and is in her fourth elected term representing Daly City's Democrats on the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee and is the Vice-President of the North San Mateo County Democratic Club. She serves on the California State Democratic Party Executive Board and is a member of the State Party Labor, Filipino-American, Asian/Pacific Islander Caucuses and is Treasurer of the Disabilities Caucus.

Judith is a member of the Daly City Host Lions, Daly City/Colma History Guild, Colma Historical Association, Daly City Friends of the Library, Supporters of the Doelger Senior Center, Original Daly City Protective Association, and actively supports CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse) Kumares and Kumpares, and the Filipino Mental Health Initiative.

Judith at Home

Judith and her sister have shared 15 years of in-home caregiving for their mother who recently passed away from Alzheimer's at 98 years old . The whole family has been active in animal rescue, fostering kittens, and promoting spay and neuter programs to reduce pet overpopulation. She has a lifelong interest in environmental causes, especially protecting wildlife and preserving their habitat. Judith enjoys learning about other cultures (foods, celebrations, arts, and customs) here at home and when she travels.

Life before City Council and San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee

Judith was born and raised in a small mill town in Washington State. Her father worked for 45 years in the local mill and her mother was a dedicated school volunteer. Judith and her younger sister lived an idyllic 1950's childhood that was filled with camping, beachcombing, a reverence for nature, singing in the church choir, frequent visits to the public library, and volunteering at school and in the community.

Winning an academic scholarship helped Judith attend college and earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology. After college, she served as a VISTA Volunteer (America's domestic Peace Corps) in St. Louis where she taught in Head Start and created a nutrition program that fed thousands of children during the summer. She also inspected deteriorating and unsafe buildings that were over 100 years old and worked with the community to improve the condition of housing for low-income families.

Judith has attended more than five years of graduate school to earn credentials to teach Physics, Biology, Literature, Photography, English as a Second language, Special Education for learning disabled students, and all subjects in Elementary School. Judith was a Graduate Division instructor at San Francisco State University teaching new elementary teachers how to teach hands-on science. Judith was a public school teacher for more than 25 years in classrooms at the high school, elementary, and college levels. She is a published author on education and has been featured in documentaries on teaching science and special education. Judith has received awards for excellence in teaching, including the Exploratorium Teacher of the Year, San Francisco Math Teacher of the Year, and California Finalist for the Presidential Award in Science Teaching.