Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Berkeley; District 4

From an early age, Jesse was passionately committed to social activism. The son and grandson of farm workers, he worked to educate others about the legacy of César Chávez and modeled his life after Chávez's commitment to non-violent social change. Over the past 14 years, Jesse has been involved in political activism and public service in a number of ways, such as working to rename Army Street in San Francisco after Cesar Chavez; working with organized labor in fighting for workers rights; and serving as a member of the San Francisco Youth Commission advising the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on issues relating to children and youth.

Jesse graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. During his time at Cal, he served as the City Affairs Director for the ASUC (UC Berkeley student government) representing for student interests to the city government. He also served on the Chancellor's Joint Oversight Committee on Parking and Transportation. Because of his work on affordable housing issues, he was appointed to the Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission, which he currently chairs. In 2004 he was elected by the voters of Berkeley to serve on the Rent Stabilization Board and for the past two two years he has been unanimously selected by his colleagues to Chair the Board. He was also a member of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee and currently serves on the Zoning Adjustments Board. He is an aide to City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, helping constituents navigate the city government and developing policy proposals. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Group and the Board of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.