Meet Daniel

Daniel shaking hands with Mayor Eric Garcetti and meeting Fire Chief Terrazas and Police Chief Beck after speaking at Los Angeles City Hall 
Daniel (middle row, far left) after hosting a soccer clinic at MArlton School For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, a k-12 public school in South Los Angeles

A California native and a Millennial, Daniel believes that everyone has the right to a good education regardless of background and status. He isn’t your typical Board Member, and that’s a GOOD THING. He believes that wellbeing and safety are integral pieces of the wholistic student experience. We need to prioritize the needs of each individual student and focus on building a more modern, equitable, and sustainable education system. We need progress not platitudes. Students need cleaner water, healthier food, faster internet, and opportunities to learn new skills or trades. Join Daniel in building A lesson plan for the future.

Daniel with a student and parents at Caliber: Beta Academy in SAn PAblo

Growing up with learning disabilities, Daniel was forced to learn how to navigate complex educational systems and structures at a very young age. He was very fortunate to have had a support network that included two grandmothers who were English teachers. Without them, he would have been left behind just as other non-traditional students like him have experienced.

Daniel has devoted countless hours to working with the next generation of students and leaders. He has created and facilitated educational programs in leadership development, professional development, lectured on ways to bridge the divide between differences in generational communication, mentored students at Los Angeles Valley College, UC Riverside, and UC Berkeley, and has served as a Capstone Thesis Advisor to graduate students at Georgetown University. Throughout Daniel’s career as an educator, higher education administrator, and non-profit management consultant he has helped raise more than $50 million towards scholarships and facilities for students from underrepresented backgrounds and student athletes.

His first experience working in government was serving as a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team. As a volunteer he underwent extensive training in crisis care, intervention, and working with city departments and leaders. After being designated as “Cohort Captain,” he was “On Call” and responded to events at the request of the Police & Fire Departments, and area hospitals that include: homicides, suicides, death notification assistance, domestic violence support, officer involved shootings, infant death, and serious traffic accidents. When deployed, Daniel was the liaison between crisis survivors and departmental officials, providing immediate comfort, emotional support, and resources to survivors of traumatic events to help them begin their path to recovery.

Shortly after moving to Contra Costa County, Daniel was appointed to serve on Richmond’s Economic Development Commission. Now he seeks your vote to prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce, to enable safe and nurturing educational environments, to train and retain qualified teachers, to support all public schools, both traditional and charter schools, and ensure that students in juvenile detention centers are learning and matriculating.

My experience, independence, and platform for change have earned me the endorsement of the President of the Contra Costa County Board of Education and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.

Daniel holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University. He lives in the Richmond Annex with his wife Maddy and their dog Socks.