S AN DIEGO, CA - Mateo Camarillo, chairman of the Latino Redistricting Committee, has accepted the suggestions of several community leaders and community organizations to run for the newly-created San Diego City Council, District 9. The community stalwarts said that there is need to have a representative with a proven record by responding to the needs of underserved residents of San Diego. Mr. Camarillo has agreed to run for this year’s election.

The new San Diego City Council, District 9 is a majority Latino District. More-than 80 languages are spoken in this District, which has the highest concentration of immigrants, low-income homeowners that have been impacted by the homeownership foreclosure fiasco, high unemployment and inferior City services.

In consideration to run for San Diego City Council, District 9, Mateo listened and responded to the pressing needs of residents and community leaders of the City of San Diego. Mateo was an immigrant; a long-time resident of the District of City Heights and Kensington. He is a champion of the rights of the underserved; and a proven record of performance who has walked in their shoes.

Mateo is a local business owner since 1976 (several McDonald’s franchises) and he had several startup businesses too. It includes the 1st Spanish language, FCC-licensed radio station in San Diego and employed hundreds of multilingual

residents. He served for 10 years as Chairman of the California Universal Lifeline Telecommunications Service Marketing Board that provides telephone service and information for immigrants and low income ratepayers in 10 languages. Telephone access is a basic life-support service.

In his first business, Mateo provided menu information in 6 languages.  Mateo worked with state legislators in California to pass the Bilingual Services Act including requiring that contracts be in the language consumers understand. This service was critical during the home ownership crisis when many limited English homeowners attempted to reach the American Dream of buying a home and signed mortgage contracts that they did not understand (ARMS & Balloon payments) and could not afford.

Mateo Camarillo is a trained social worker and has taught at two universities (SDSU and SJSU). In SDSU, he was an Awardee Alumni of the Year (1989). As chairman of Trabajadores de la Raza, he persuaded major employers in San Diego County, City and SDG&E to recognize the ability to use a second language (i.e., Spanish) and a compensation plan to pay bilingual bonuses for their work to empower customers and clients to be more independent.

Mateo's expertise went beyond the call of duty when he asked the County to implement and provide food commodities which morphed into Food Stamps for low income residents that were down on their life experiences. Mr. Camarillo persuaded the City of San Diego to train its management staff on cultural diversity to better serve all its residents, value cultural and language differences because few minorities are in top management. 

Mateo’s experiences as a president, CEO and/or as Director of numerous non-profit organizations: Latino American Political Association (LAPA, non-partisan); Communities United for Economic Justice; Chicano Federation; Pagasa-Tumainisha-Esperanza-Hope Inc., PTE-HOPE, Inc. (Multicultural and

Diversity, Caucasian's/Europeans, African American, Latinos and Filipinos / Asian Pacific Islanders /Asian Americans and others for cultural understanding), etc. # # #