Candidate for
Council Member; City of El Cajon

With deep roots in The United States soil, I am part of the first U.S. born generation to Chaldean immigrants. My newly-wed parents fled Iraq in fear for their lives from war and persecution of being a minority because of our Christian faith. They heard of the freedom and opportunity in America from my Great Grandfather, Zia Attala, who, as our family tradition proudly informs us, was the first Iraqi to step foot on American Soil in the late 1890s.

My parents immediately found sanctuary in El Cajon, and my father, an engineer in Iraq, was desperately trying to find work. Not being able to work in his field at the time due to discrimination against Iraqis, he risked the few funds he had to open businesses to support his slowly growing family; being his own boss was the only fair opportunity he would get. He ambitiously opened a mechanic shop and an arcade, only to find them to be insufficient for our needs at the time. He later purchased a very successful towing company, but soon after sold it, feeling that he was forfeiting his morals by "stealing people's cars then selling them back" and the only people he saw all day were people who hated him for doing a job that someone had to do. In 1984 he began opening pizza restaurants which supported the family, but had my mother and father working 10 + 12 hours each day. This busy schedule kept my father from an early detection of cancer, a 3 month battle which he lost in August of 2000. He left behind a widow and 2 boys with the positive injunction that his children work hard to become educated and make a positive impact on the world.

My family has dealt first hand with turning suffering into success and has over 30 years of experience in The United States as successful businessmen. I am now a second generation local businessman with the experience and leadership to help rebuild our local economy through business development, attracting investors, boosting education and creating access to a healthy lifestyle. I was approached by local business owners, investors and residents who were looking for representation on the City Council and, knowing my background in Economics, Political Science and Law, thought I would be a great candidate. From then I began my grass roots campaign and have been working hard to address the concerns of the community and bridge the gap between residents and business owners and the government.

I want to fulfill my father's wishes and bring about a positive reformation upon El Cajon. We must break the glass ceiling for the future of our children. The time is now, and we can only do it by bridging the gap between government, businesses and residents. Let's work together to make El Cajon a fair and enjoyable place to live, learn, work and play.