Joseph’s grandparents immigrated to California from Mexico to labor in tomato fields and canneries in the 1960s. Through hard work and determination, they climbed into the middle class to build opportunities for their family. Joseph’s mother struggled with addiction, so he spent most of his childhood living with his father, who raised a family of five in Riverside on a truck driver’s salary. But when Joseph came out as gay at 17, he had to move out. Though his early years were marked by hardship, trauma, and housing insecurity, Joseph excelled in school, participated in the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Conference, and worked part-time as a dishwasher.
I'm the grandson of a farmworker and a factory worker -- the son of a long-haul truck driver and a grocery worker. I know how hard they worked to provide for my family's needs. Too many working people in San Diego County struggle to make ends meet with one job alone. I will focus on creating jobs that lift families into the middle class, and ensuring that everyone working full time can support themselves and their family. I'll work to bring home the resources needed to improve our community's families' economic well-being.