Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Fernando

BIOGRAPHY

Steve Veres is proud to be a resident of San Fernando. A 27 year-old homeowner, Steve committed his life to improving educational opportunities, the quality of life and the safety of San Fernando residents. Born to strong-valued immigrant parents, Steve graduated from UCLA with honors. He continued his education at UCLA by earning a Master's degree in Latin American Studies with an emphasis in Urban Planning and is currently completing a Ph.D. in history.

Steve has taught 7th and 8th grade Social Studies classes as well as a variety of courses at UCLA. In our community, he's participated in educational workshops and events that have improved the general knowledge of some of San Fernando's most treasured resources. An active member of the San Fernando community, Steve serves as the president of the Friends of the San Fernando Library where he was instrumental in the purchasing of almost 1000 new books, brand new reading room furniture and upgrading the computer lab. Steve was appointed Historical Commissioner for the City of San Fernando in 1999. He served as chairperson for many years and is proud of the commission's accomplishments. During his tenure, a number of important community projects saw significant attention. The Lopez Adobe, the city's oldest standing structure, received $125,000 in grants for preservation and restoration. The city identified and is beginning the preservation of over 200 of its oldest and most valuable homes much of this done through his hard work. He played an integral role in organizing San Fernando's annual birthday celebration since 2000 and began an oral history program to preserve the memories of San Fernando's oldest living residents. He is currently helping develop a 3- acre Heritage Park, a museum and a technology center in San Fernando for families to enjoy and learn from.

As the former managing editor of the San Fernando Sun Newspaper, Steve helped resurrect our town's longest running community newspaper from the verge of closure. He is a founding member of the San Fernando Historic Homes Preservation Group, a citywide homeowners group formed to help residents restore their older homes.