Did you ever wonder who is actually watching over our cities? I am sure that most citizens imagine a person who is dedicated to their community and hopefully advocates equality and positive change. What about our city of San Jose? There are numerous people in public service who contribute to the safety of our neighborhoods. I want to shine light on one Latina woman who takes social change seriously and to a new level. Cindy Chavez is the Vice Mayor and is now currently running for Mayor. When Chavez was younger, her family moved from New Mexico in hopes for higher equality and better jobs. Cindy's father was a carpenter and her mother did a lot of volunteer work during her free time. Cindy attended San Jose State University, right in the middle of downtown San Jose. This led to a career in community work. Chavez sat on the Board of Supervisors and worked as a policy aid on health and human services. She also joined the South Bay Labor Council as Staff Director. Chavez helped design, along with others, Working Partnerships USA. This was all of Cindy's early work within the San Jose community.
In 1998 Cindy won her first election to San Jose's City Council. She focused on building beautiful urban centers, affordable housing, and promoting higher education while cleaning up San Jose schools. Four years later she was elected Vice Mayor! She works to improve downtown neighborhoods and businesses. She is Chair of the Valley Transportation Authority and she constantly works to enhance our community. Chavez sits on the Board of Directors for: Joint Venture, Silicon Valley Network, Statewide Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology, and Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. In 2004 Chavez was in Business Journal under "Influential Women in Business" and she is on the board of the Silicon Valley Women's Alliance. This article is not too try to pursue anyone regarding the elections. This woman is just one out of many in our community that deserves to have her story told and given recognition. Girls For A Change is all about women becoming leaders in our communities and creating social change. Cindy Chavez, aside from the election, is a woman of passion for change and social reform.
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