Vote Verder-Aliga
I am writing in support of Rozzana Verder-Aliga for Vallejo City Council District 1.
I am a retired attorney and former nonprofit and diversity executive. I am also the founder and creator of the California LAW Pathway with 21 high school law academies, 29 community colleges and nine undergraduate and law schools throughout California with a mission to build a diverse legal profession.
Jesse Bethel High School Law Academy is one of our most successful law academies. Our pathway was built to give diverse students an avenue to explore law-related careers.
My husband and I moved to Vallejo in 2012 to be near our grandchildren. Jesse Bethel’s law academy was preparing to launch its inaugural law academy class in the fall of 2013 and we used the 2012-2013 year to plan.
At that time, we needed community champions to help us build our academy. Rozzana was one of the first names that came up based on her background and experience as a member of the Vallejo City Unified School District and in 2012 as a sitting trustee on the Solano County Board of Education. Her core values of diversity, equity and inclusion and equitable access to education were the same as the California LAW Pathway. Jesse Bethel would be our seventh law academy and we needed others who had vision and passion to make it happen.
Rozzana was that strong support we needed — even stating her son, Rizal, would be in our first law academy class. Since that time, I have watched her political journey and have found her to be a pro-active, independent, ethical, passionate woman warrior who has given her life to public service and loves Vallejo.
I support her vision for Vallejo as a safe, welcoming, diversity celebrating, business friendly and healthy community. She certainly welcomed me when I was a newcomer in 2012 and showed me the very best that Vallejo has. As a retired lawyer, diversity and education champion, I am voting for Rozzana to continue her work on the city council and urge others to do the same.
— Ruthe Catolico Ashley, Esq./
Vallejo, District 1