Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Hawthorne

John Vargas is the youngest of four children born to Maria and Alejandro Vargas; who are also life long residents in Hawthorne. John began his educational career in the Hawthorne School District where he currently serves as the Vice President. He is a proud alumnus of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of California Los Angeles, and California State University Long Beach.

After graduating from UCLA with a bachelor of arts in political science, John served as a lead teacher for an after school program in Playa Del Rey. His passion for education led John to become a writer and editor for English Education Curriculum International where he created and edited English learning materials for the foreign market. It was also at this time that John earned a masters degree in linguistics at CSULB . He applied this knowledge in his work as writer and editor and would later apply this knowledge in his future work with charter schools.

In 2005, working with a core group of founders, John began the process of creating and establishing a public charter school within the Los Angeles Unified School District. In September of 2007, John's vision became a reality when the Global Education Academy Public Charter School opened its doors in South Los Angeles. While serving as Development Director for the academy, John was recruited by Excellent Education Development to serve as Vice President of School Finance for charter schools in the LA area. After ExED, John worked as an Executive Director of the Full Circle Learning Academy; a small K-8 public charter school in Los Angeles. John was responsible for school operations with emphasis on budget, human resources, legal and procurement. John currently serves as consultant to his former company EECI.

Serving the Hawthorne Community has always been top priority for John Vargas. As the Vice President of the School Board Trustees, John has worked to maintain the District's fiscal solvency in the midst of devastating budget cuts in education from the state and federal government. He has worked to minimize employee layoffs and ensure our students are receiving a world-class education. He is a strong advocate of parent involvement and believes our city and schools must work better together.

John has also served as the founding Treasurer of the North Hawthorne Community Association. He has worked with fellow residents to help reduce crime and loitering, upgrading signals at many dangerous intersections, hold annual supply drives for Hawthorne schools, and provide a forum for residents to express their concerns. John Vargas currently serves as Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus, based out of St. Joseph Church. Most recently, John is an active member of his parish's Pastoral Council and serves on the Advisory Board for St. Joseph School. Transparency