Born and raised in Redwood City, Elmer’s top priorities as a Council Member are shaped by his experiences growing up in our neighborhoods.
He is a first-generation Latino born to Central American immigrants, and a product of local Redwood City schools attending Roosevelt Elementary, St. Pius School, Sequoia High School and Cañada College before becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college.
Living the majority of his life in the D4 neighborhoods of Palm Park & Stambaugh-Heller, Elmer knows first-hand the barriers residents face in order to work, study, and live in our community. Driven by his passion for community service, Elmer has chosen to work in public service as a way to bring people together to solve the problems affecting their shared community.
Elmer served the past two years as the appointed representatives for District 4, where he has worked to be a collaborator and consensus builder while bringing the needs of District 4 to the table.
Elmer sees the City Council as a genuine opportunity to make a difference, and he is committed to working together through dialogue and community building. During his time on council, Elmer’s proudest accomplishments include:
Raising the local minimum wage–fighting for a “catch-up” clause so our essential workers see their wages grow every year to keep up with inflation.
Increasing diverse representation by lowering the age requirements for our boards to just 16 years old, so we could increase the representation of our community and build a pipeline of future leaders.
Fighting for the PACE Program: a collaboration between students, officers and non-profit leaders–to help our students from underserved communities connect with city resources, mentors, and job opportunities.
Working to make our roads safer by advocating for major city projects like the Woodside/101 Interchange, and community benefits like protected bike lanes along El Camino Real.
But these two years have just scratched the surface–Elmer knows the amount of work it takes to get things done, and he wants to keep fighting for the next four years to make a bigger difference.
In his professional capacity, Elmer serves as the Director of Communications for the Child Care Coordinating Council (4Cs) of San Mateo County connecting families to child care programs and other critical resources they need to thrive.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, he supported Redwood City’s state legislators, former State Senator Jerry Hill and Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Mullin, as their district representative. He helped residents navigate state unemployment and rental assistance programs; and his portfolio included policy and casework related to housing, healthcare, transportation, and economic development.