Candidate for
Trustee; Sacramento City Unified School District; Trustee Area 7

Ralph Merletti has been substitute teaching with Gateway Community Charters in the Sacramento area and with schools in the Yuba City area. He has lived in the Fruitridge area of Sacramento County for almost 14 years.

Ralph (credentialed in social science and geosciences) previously substituted (2006-13) in the Grant/Twin Rivers USD (all grade levels and almost all subjects), and before that in the San Juan and Elk Grove Districts. He has also worked as a test evaluator (reader) for CTB/McGraw-Hill. Ralph taught geography as an adjunct instructor in the Riverside Community College District (1990-93). He worked as a physical science technician in geomagnetism for the US Geological Survey in Colorado in 1986, and as a cartographic aide/technician for the US Forest Service in Colorado (1974-1982). Ralph served in the US Air Force (Lackland AFB TX and Little Rock AFB AR) in 1963-64.

Ralph was born in Buffalo NY in 1946. In 1955 his family moved west to California. Ralph is a 1963 graduate of Sylmar High School, Sylmar CA (northernmost community of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles) where he received a varsity letter in cross country running, and a certificate of merit for school spirit and loyalty. In 1968, he completed an A/A degree at Los Angeles Valley College, where he received several recognitions for academics and activities. Ralph holds a B/A in geography from California State University, Northridge (1970), and an M/A in geography from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (1984). Ralph holds a California Community College Instructor credential in Earth Sciences, and in 1999 completed a certificate program in Geographic Information Systems at the University of California, Riverside extension.

Ralph has long been involved in community activities. While in high school, he was a member of the Sylmar Civic Association, 1961-62. In December of 1962, he was named "First Honorary Historian" of the Sylmar Chamber of Commerce for his efforts at popularizing the community in the context of California geography, history, agriculture, climate, and geology. Most notable, Ralph asked (and convinced) two major road map companies to "please put Sylmar on the map." In 1971, Ralph moved to Colorado and became active in the local community there: Choir member of Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1973-76), Historic Denver, Inc. (1975-1982), Colorado Historical Society (1979-1982), and the Colorado Mountain Club, Denver Group (1982, 1985-88). Returning to California, Ralph was trophy chairman for the Brawley (Imperial County) Cattle Call parade in the fall of 1988. At the 50-year reunion (April 2013) of the Sylmar HS class of 1963, the current principal presented Ralph with the game ball from the previous fall's 50th Anniversary homecoming football game in appreciation of his high school nickname - "Mr. Sylmar."

Socially, Ralph has been active in several singles' clubs over the years. In 1981, Ralph was president of the CAC (Catholic Alumni Club [single, religious, social, professional]) of Colorado, and in the second half of 2003 was president of the CAC of Sacramento. Ralph is a member of St. Rose parish in South Sacramento and has served as a lector for over 13 years. St. Rose is the busiest church in the 20-county Diocese of Sacramento on Sunday mornings, having Mass on the hour. Ralph has also been active over the years in pro-life activities, such as parish contact for "40 Days For Life" campaigns, and the annual "Walk For Life" in San Francisco.

At his Fruitridge residence, Ralph has almost a 14-year record of daily and monthly rainfall measurements. He has also been involved with the Association of American Geographers and the Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society. A life-long amateur astronomer, Ralph's favorite events are solar and lunar eclipses and related phenomena, having now observed 27 solar eclipses of various types, beginning with his first in 1954 in the Buffalo NY area. Since then, Ralph's solar eclipse observations have included four totals and four annulars, the most recent in May 2012 in Redding CA. Solar eclipse #27 (partial) was on Oct.23rd, 2014, observed in the company of students and staff at St. Patrick Academy on the grounds of his home parish--St. Rose--here in South Sacramento!

Ralph has traveled in all 58 counties in California, 45 states (including Hawaii-1980 and Alaska-2008), and to five foreign countries (Canada, Mexico; Aruba and Venezuela-1998, Switzerland and Romania-1999) on three continents. His other avocations include mountain climbing (Colorado 14ers in the 1980s including the state's highest - Mt. Elbert - in 1982; Lassen Peak CA in 2005, Mt. Rose NV and Mt. Scott [Crater Lake NP) OR in 2007), photography (two of his best photographs include Pope John-Paul II passing in front of the Alamo in San Antonio TX in 1987, and the first pitch of major league baseball [Colorado Rockies] in Denver [Mile High Stadium] in 1993), sports fan, and of course, politics! Ralph has several presentations/publications; some of these can be seen online.

In November 2002, Ralph was among the approx. 8,300+ Californians to submit a design for the state quarter, attending the general public's part of the coin release celebration at the end of January 2005. He has attended several other local and state events in the Sacramento area including: the public grand opening of the new Sacramento City Hall in August of 2005, the WNBA championship of the Sacramento Monarchs in September of 2005, the rededication of the renovated Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in November of 2005, the inauguration ceremony of the Governor of California at Memorial Auditorium in January 2007, the grand reopening of the Crocker Art Museum in October of 2010, the grand opening of the new Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport in October 2011, the massive civic rally in Cesar Chavez Park celebrating our NBA Sacramento Kings and the arena deal in May 2013, and the most recent (October 2014) celebration parade and rally at the State Capitol for our USL champion pro-soccer Sacramento Republic FC.

Politically, Ralph was an alternate/regular delegate at the Colorado Republican Convention in 1988. In 2010 he was an applicant for the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Later that year, he was a pollworker at two local sites in Sacramento on the June and November election days. In the fall of 2012, in his first run for public office, Ralph was a candidate for Trustee, Area 7 (South Sacramento), of the Sacramento City Unified School District. Facing an incumbent, he received almost 36% of the vote. In the spring primary of 2014, Ralph was a candidate for CA Assembly District 7, which includes much of Sacramento and West Sacramento. In a five-way race, he finished in 3rd place. In the fall of 2014, Ralph is again a candidate for (incumbent-vacated remaining 2-year term) Trustee, Area 7, of the Sacramento Unified School District in a multi-candidate race.