COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our community. In order to get us through this crisis and back on track as quickly as possible, we need someone with disaster management and emergency preparedness leadership to guide the way forward into what would otherwise be an uncertain future. Ruben has been a Paramedic for nearly 20 years and is an EMT/Paramedic trainer of the largest emergency medical services recertification training program worldwide.
Ruben was homeless as a kid, but worked his way out through education and now works to resolve the homeless crisis in Oceanside in a way that keeps our community safe as an advocate for affordable housing. Ruben has experience as an incident commander of large scale, mass casualty incidents, in the healthcare field working in the hospital, on the ambulance, and as an EMS Supervisor/EMS Battalion Chief. Ruben has been serving the community and public safety his entire adult life. Ruben has a law degree and master’s in military history.
Ruben has experience as an educator creating protocols for Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) response, as well as working to ensure thousands of EMS agencies and fire departments across the country are providing their responders with the appropriate protective equipment to protect their first responders. Ruben will not be corrupted by special interest PACs or backdoor political deals, but rather will work to ensure the residents of the city of Oceanside are properly represented to the fullest possible capacity.
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Policy/Positions
HOMELESS/HOUSING CRISIS
- Work to End Veteran’s Homelessness
- Keep Oceanside Safe for Residents
- Shelter Homeless as Required by Law
- Move Homeless Outreach Team Oversight from Law Enforcement and Give to Public Health/Fire Department/EMS (Save Taxpayer Money)
- Long-Term Solutions for Homeless Crisis
- Address Mental Health & Drug/Alcohol Addiction
- Protection from Eviction Due to Skyrocketing Rental Prices for Seniors and those on Fixed Incomes / Maintenance of Rent Protection for Mobile Home Park Residents
- Affordable Rent for Residents and Small Business
PUBLIC SAFETY
- Move Homeless Outreach Team Oversight from Law Enforcement and Give to Public Health/Fire Department/EMS (Save Taxpayer Funds)
- Coordinate Active Shooter Training with Public Safety Departments and OUSD
- Emphasis Fire and Emergency Readiness
- 5 Minutes or Less for Fire Department to Arrive
- Additional Fire Department Stations
- Increase Body Camera Angles for Police Officers
- Increase the Amount of Time Body Camera Footage is Available from 6 Months to Perpetual
- Increase Police Vehicle Footage Angles
- Increase Community Policing / Establish Citizen-Led Policing
- Citizen Oversight Review Board for Police Complaints and Issues
ENVIRONMENT
- End Rampant/Unchecked Development
- No to Fast-Tracking Development
- Smart Growth to Include Public Amenities
- More Hiking, Biking, and Nature Trails
- Remove Nuclear Waste from Beach
- Improve & Activate Our Climate Action Plan
- Minimize Beach Erosion in an Environmentally Sound Manner
- Smart Parking as Defined by the Sierra Club (Dividend Account Parking)
- Electric Bikes and Scooters Downtown
- Establish an Environmental Commission for the City of Oceanside
- No on Measure L (North River Farms)
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
- End Government Corruption
- Supports Term Limits
- Supports Campaign Finance Limits
- Code of Ethics
- Transparency of Information
VETERANS
- End Veteran’s Homelessness
- Job Programs/Job Assistance
- Assist Exit Strategy upon Discharge or Retirement
- Support for PTSD and Other Mental Health Issues
EDUCATION
- Work with School District to Increase Bus Transportation/Routes
- Setup Special Traffic Zones/Devices Near Schools
- Ensure Safe and Reliable Routes to Schools
- Coordinate Active Shooter Training with Public Safety Departments and OUSD
- Partner with OUSD to encourage involvement in Oceanside Youth Commission
Brief Bio
When Ruben was just an infant, his then alcoholic and much older father, abandoned his teenage mother putting them both into extreme poverty and eventually homelessness. Because of their separation, Ruben was also prevented from spending time with his dad’s side of the family and thus stripped of his Latino and Native American heritage. His father still owes his mother child support after several decades. His father was the son of a full-blooded Yaqui whose parents were buried in the Guadalupe Cemetery.
By reconnecting with family, Ruben was able to discover his roots and now fights to end poverty and homelessness through common sense programs, community involvement, compassion, and accountability. As a Paramedic, public safety is his first priority.
How We Can Make Oceanside Better
I want to know your ideas, your thoughts, your opinions on how we can improve our community.
It is obvious that career politicians have failed in their responsibility to properly govern. City Council favors outsiders over the best interests of our community. Critical programs, such as our Fire Department, have not been adequately funded or provided with the proper infrastructure to protect our community in case of emergency. The goal must be to reduce average response times to 5 minutes or less so that people will have a fighting change of survival in the event of cardiac arrest. We can work to make that happen together!
Additionally, the homeless crisis is out of control and no effective measures have been taken to adequately address the problem. We can work to make that happen together!
Ruben has the experience needed to address the issue having personally experienced homelessness and worked with the homeless as a Paramedic and healthcare provider.
Years go by without much progress being made and now we are at a critical point in the direction of our communities. We need NEW leadership, which will work to provide REAL solutions through improving community relations with officials, public safety and emergency services, working to solve the homelessness crisis, and demanding an ethical code of conduct for our government officials. We need term limits and accountability. We can work to make that happen together! City Council works for the community, not the other way around!
But I can’t do this alone. I need your help to win. We are all in this fight together and it’s time to start putting our COMMUNITY FIRST!
Together We Can Win!
