Candidate for
City; City of Santa Rosa High School District

Laura was born and raised in San Francisco, then moved to Daly City where she graduated from high school. She attended the University of San Francisco and City College of San Francisco before graduating with a BA in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University in 1989. Laura moved to Santa Rosa and earned a Multiple Subject Credential with Bilingual emphasis in 1991 at Sonoma State University.

Moving to Santa Rosa was a natural step for Laura because it had always been her home away from home, since her grandparents moved to the Memorial Hospital/Doyle Park area in the early '60s. Laura decided to live with her beloved grandmother who needed a caretaker/companion.

Laura skills were much in demand in the changing landscape in Sonoma County. She used her bilingual and bicultural skills to work with Spanish-speaking students, first as a para-professional in the Roseland School District, and then as a teacher at Cali Calmécac in the Windsor Unified School District.

While a 3rd grade teacher, Laura met a family that would forever change her life. One of her students lost his mother, and his family was plunged into crisis and chaos. Unfortunately, the five children were eventually removed from their father's custody, despite a valiant effort by the staff at Cali to help the family remain intact. The two youngest children, Cindy and Mindy, went to live with Laura and her grandmother in April 2000 as foster children. Two years later, Laura adopted the two little girls. The following year, "Abuelita" died, surrounded by her loving family, including her two new great-grandchildren. (The picture here was taken on Adoption Day 2002.)

Laura has been a teacher for almost 22 years now, and has proven herself a tireless advocate for public education. She has also served as a California Teachers Association (CTA) delegate to the National Educational Association Representative Assembly (NEA RA) for the past three years.

Laura has also been involved in her community, serving on the board of her homeowners' association, as vice-president and president of her parish council at St. Rose Catholic Church, and currently as a board member for the California Parenting Institute (CPI). She has also used her teaching skills as a catechist for adults, and teaching citizenship classes to immigrants.

Cindy graduated from Montgomery High School in 2010 and Mindy in 2011. Now that they are grown and on their own, taking less of Laura's time, she spends her free time on the computer, playing with her (high maintenance!) terriers Corky and Spike, traveling, swimming, reading, and hanging out with friends.