Meet Your Portuguese-American Elected Officials in California: Dennis Mederos
Dennis Mederos was born and raised on a farm west of Tulare. He is a graduate of Tulare Western High School, COS, and he graduated from UCLA. He attended San Joaquin College of Law in Fresno and after being admitted to the practice of law began his law practice in Tulare in 1980. Mederos has been an attorney, business owner and agricultural farmer in Tulare for over 35 years.
He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Tulare County branch of the American Cancer Society, the Board of Trustees of the Tulare City Historical Society, the Board of the COS Foundation, and is a past President of the Tulare-Angra do Heroismo Sister City Foundation. He is a member of the Tulare County Cabrillo Club and the Roma Lodge of the Sons of Italy.
He also served the community in 2002 as Chairman for the Tulare Joint Union High School District Boundary Redistricting Committee. In 2013 Mederos was honored by the Tulare Chamber of Commerce as The Man of the Year. Mederos was inducted and also earned entry in 2013 on the Wall of Fame at Tulare Western High School. Mr. Mederos is married to his wife Cathy who is a member of the Tulare Joint Union High School District Board and they are longtime residents of District 4. They have three children, Melissa Mederos-Semoes (and her husband, David Semoes), Megan Mederos, and Michael Mederos. They also have one granddaughter, Emily. He was just elected (this past November) to the Tulare City Council and he is very proud of his Portuguese-American background with ancestors who emigrated from the Azores islands.