Milpitas|News|
Armando Gomez, Running for Council Re-election
The two-time councilman says he considers the budget deficit public enemy number one.
<b>Email</b>: adelaide.chen at patch.com<br><b>Phone: </b>408-396-9346<br><b>Hometown: </b>San Jose and Saratoga, Calif.<br><b>Birthday: </b>April 16
Grew up a few exits down from Milpitas off the I-680 on Berryessa Road. Attended Milpitas Christian Preschool and many elementary school functions at Cal-Skate.<br><br>In the '80s, my father and uncles bought a Shapell home a mile away from city hall when my grandparents were nearing retirement. So the elders relocated to Milpitas from New York--with children and grandchildren in tow. My family history is like so many Chinese. They left the mother country because they were against Communism. My grandparents and their children landed in Taiwan, then Laos, and immigrated to the East Coast before settling in the south bay. <br><br>Fast forward to fifth grade. My parents moved to Saratoga where my brothers and I attended public schools. I graduated from Saratoga High and went to UC Davis. A decade later, I finished a masters degree in journalism at UC Berkeley. <br><br><b>Politics </b><br>I have dealt in politics as a phone bank and precinct walk coordinator for labor unions in the past. The campaign etched in my mind was a fight to stop the first Wal-Mart Supercenter in LA County from being built. It was a 24-hour store with a liquor license located next to a public school. We lost.<br><br>That said, I believe in transparency and accountability. If you should ever think our coverage is skewed, please leave your two cents in the comments section of the article. Or email me a brief letter and I will publish it. Dialogue is important to me, whether it's just you and me, or a heated debate within the community. But someone has to start.<br><br><b>Religion</b><br>Despite accompanying my grandmother to church from time to time, I don't belong to a religion. However, I understand that religion is an important part of our identity in Milpitas. Which is why our writers Ella Felix and Ritu Jha went to great lengths to catalogue nearly 50 churches, temples and mosques for the online directory.<br><br><b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b>
Budget cuts in the Milpitas Unified School District.
Staffing levels in the city of Milpitas.
Emergency services and preparedness.
Redevelopment and the current lawsuit.
Diversity and tolerance. A young woman recently sued the Abercrombie and Fitch store at the Great Mall for not hiring her because her head covering did not fit the "look" they were after.
<br><b>Your role as a contributor to Milpitas Patch</b><br>This publication is a two-way street. You can be a formal contributor by emailing me your story idea. Or finding me at the library, where I hold "office hours" once a week. I want your photos and videos of breaking news stories, school events, youth sports, and happenings around town. We can all be reporters, even with our cell phone cameras. Email or text your news tips and ideas to adelaide.chen at patch.com or 408-396-9346.
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The two-time councilman says he considers the budget deficit public enemy number one.
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