Merced is a City on the Rise and it has been my privilege to serve the residents of Merced as Mayor since my election in November 2016. Merced has been my hometown since childhood. I attended Ada Givens Elementary, Sheehy Elementary, Hoover Jr. High, Merced High School and then Golden Valley High School.

Although I have always kept my hometown roots, I’ve had opportunities and accomplishments outside of our region as well. I am a graduate of Georgetown Law School and practiced law in Silicon Valley representing technology companies in high stakes business transactions. Recently, I was recognized by Business Street as one of the top “40 under 40” young business professionals in central California and one of Merced’s “20 under 40.”

I am a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders to better serve the public good. I lived abroad as a missionary in Tahiti where I became fluent in the French and Tahitian languages serving many that are less fortunate than we are.

Heather and I moved our family back to Merced 9 years ago by choice. We wanted to raise our 3 children in a family-friendly environment around their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma and good friends. We have since added another child to our family and have 4 kids. Our oldest is 16 years old and was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 4.  We support our local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and our family is hopeful that researchers will find a cure to this disease soon.

When I left my Silicon Valley law firm I started a new law firm on Canal Street in downtown Merced, just 3 blocks from Bob Hart Square in a charming building that my partner and I renovated. I am a business attorney who advises clients in various aspects of business transactions, including incorporations, intellectual property protection, real estate purchases and leases, and business succession planning. For the most part, my clients are small businesses that employ our friends and neighbors and give back to the community. In addition, I taught a course at UC Merced on local politics where I invited local leaders to meet with my class to discuss important issues.

I love being part of Merced and I care deeply about our success as a city. I haven’t run for public office for the money. In fact, I’ve never taken any salary for my work.

I am committed to keeping our residents safe, creating economic opportunities, and being held to account as a city leader. This website has information about my vision for this city and how we can accomplish it together. You can also come to one of my upcoming events to learn more about me. Check this website regularly as well as my Facebook page and Twitter account (@MercedMayor) for updates on upcoming campaign events.

Please join me in making our vision for Merced a reality.