ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Jose Luis
WHERE I COME FROM
I grew up in the beautiful Pajaro Valley farmlands of Watsonville as the son of farmworkers, where I learned from an early age the dignity in honest work and the grace in helping others. At the age of six, a cafeteria worker at my elementary school noticed I could not afford school lunches and let me clean dishes before school to earn meals. Her kindness made an impression and has served to guide me throughout my life decisions ever since. I worked hard to put myself through college and continue learning and developing professionally to this day.
I am a proud second-generation union member. Through the result of hard work and California’s Community College system, my parents were able to move into new careers with better pay. My mother later became a union member with the Communications Workers of America. I saw firsthand how a defined benefit pension allowed her to retire with the security and the honor she deserved for her decades of hard work.
I am dedicated to defending the defined benefit promise we have made to California public employees.
A THRIVING CAREER
I serve on the CalPERS Board of Administration representing all active and retired members. I also give back to my community and serve as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the member-owned Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union and on the Board of Directors for Latinas Contra Cancer, a non-profit that addresses Breast Cancer health disparities in the Latina community. In my day job, I am an IT professional for the San Jose Evergreen Community College District.
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Additionally, I serve as President of the California School Employee's Association, Chapter 363, which is a union founded on the principle that nobody should work their entire lives in public service and retire with nothing. I will continue to champion my union’s long tradition in fighting to provide working families with a living wage and dignity in retirement.
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My education includes two bachelor’s degrees, one in Economics, and the other in Biological Sciences from Santa Clara University and California State University, East Bay, respectively.
I also hold a professional certificate in advanced accounting proficiency from Santa Clara University and a professional certificate in alternative investments from the Harvard School of Business.
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My life, education, and professional development have prepared me to holistically understand the California Public Employees Retirement System from the financial and member perspectives. I will continue to serve your needs and protect your hard-earned pensions and health care benefits.
