Meet Your Portuguese-American Elected Officials in California: Richard Santos
Santa Clara Valley Water Board Director Richard P. Santos, District 3, is a native of Alviso, California, and he served in Korea with the1st Calvary Armored Division until receiving an honorable U.S. Army Discharge in 1965. In 1968 he was hired as a San Jose Firefighter, promoted to Fire Engineer, Fire and Arson Inspector and retired with 33 years of Service as a Fire Captain in 2001. During his tenure at the San Jose Fire Department he served as the elected Fire Representati
Meet Your Portuguese-American Elected Officials in California: Alan Fernandes
Alan Fernandes came to Davis in 1993 to attend the University of California, Davis (UCD) as an undergraduate. While at UCD, Alan met his wife, Lia, a ‘Davis girl’ who attended Davis public schools from preschool through college. They graduated from UCD in 1997, but Lia still sometimes jokes that Alan is new to the community. After college, Alan earned his law degree and worked as an attorney and policy advocate specializing in the legislative process and governmental affairs.
Meet Your Portuguese-American Elected Officials in California: Jim Nielsen
State Senator Jim Nielsen A successful farmer and rancher, Senator Jim Nielsen grew up on a small farm in the San Joaquin Valley and graduated from Fresno State with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business. After college, Jim worked as a ranch foreman and operated the family cattle, field and row-crop ranch. He later founded a company that utilized rice hulls and rice straw for fuel. Elected to the State Senate in January 2013, Senator Nielsen proudly represents the citi