Winner Jo Medina-Alegria, Cajon Valley Unified School District FACEBOOK PHOTO
LOS ANGELES — Two of four candidates Southern California who trace their heritage from the Philippines, registered Democrats, and lost in the November 4 elections, local Democratic Party leaders confirmed. But a Republican and a Republican-endorsed candidate won.
One candidate of Filipino and mixed European heritage, a Republican, won the San Diego council’s only open seat in District 6. Chris Cate defeated Democrat Carol Kim on Tuesday. Cate is the first Asian to serve on the council in nearly five decades.
Another winner was non-affiliated Jo Medina-Alegria, who was endorsed by the San Diego Republican Party for one of the three vacant positions at the Cajon Unified School District. She is a second-generation Filipina American who holds a degree in paralegal studies with a specialization in family Law.
Veteran ABC School Board member Armin Reyes lost his campaign for a seat on the Cerritos College Board of Trustees. Reyes was elected to the ABC Board of Education in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He served as vice president of the Board in 2004 and President in 2005. He is a Democrat.
A non-partisan Fil-Am Mason Inocentes from Lakewood ran and lost for a board director position for Water Replenishment District of Southern California. He is a businessman/water consultant.
Melissa Ramoso, aide to State Sen. Ted Lieu who was just elected to Congress, and chair of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus in the State Democratic Party observed that the low turnout of voters has traditionally led to conservative and Republican victories.
Ramoso, who last year ran for a seat in Artesia City Council and lost, added that the negative publicity surrounding the past San Diego mayor created a backlash against the Democratic candidates. Ramoso’s party endorsed Cate’s opponent, Kim.
“Our communities’ older generations are mostly Republicans in party affiliation,” she explained. “But in more recent history of registered voters, the younger voters tend to register
Chris Cate, winner of San Diego City Council seat
Democratic. We may have lost this time. However, this trend supports Filipino empowerment especially for the 2016 presidential elections. ”
District 6 has a unique history as the first Asian-influenced Council District established in San Diego. In 2010, over two thousand Asian residents advocated for the creation of a new Council District that united important economic, cultural and population centers in the Asian community.
The re-districting created District 6 that combined the “Convoy commercial District” and the neighborhoods of Mira Mesa, Rancho Penasquitos and Clairemont Mesa. According to the Asian Caucus in San Diego, “today, approximately 1 out of 3 residents in District 6 are Asian.”
Filipinos make up more than six percent or 75,197 of San Diego’s 1,223,400 populations according to the most recent census.
One unsuccessful mayoral candidate, Anaheim pro-tem mayor Lori Galloway (Democrat), ran with a notable backing of the Filipino American community and religious groups in the thriving city.