A Chicano Latino studies instructor in her first semester at Fresno City College is running to be District 1 representative on the Fresno City Council.

Esmeralda Soria, “born and raised here in the valley” to farmworker parents,  is currently living in District 1, which includes the FCC campus. She said she strongly believes that District 1 neighborhoods “deserve the same quality of life as neighborhoods up in North Fresno.”

The Tulare native launched her campaign 14 months ago and said she is qualified to be on the city council because she is “relatable to the everyday voter.”

Soria said she decided to run when she realized “that the city council is privatizing tax payers’ money.”

She added that some of the other problems include the “quality of transportation and infrastructure.” She plans to work on public safety by “fixing our streetlights in a timely fashion, community policing, after school programs, and other activities for youth in the summer and cleaning graffiti.”

Soria is focused on her “outreach to voters” which has earned her a wide support base of “Republicans, Democrats and independents from different organizations.”

A former professor at the San Joaquin Law School, Soria earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from the UC Davis School of Law. She has a background in policy work in Sacramento and an extensive career involving politics.

Soria said her background — education and work experience — will be a great asset to her constituents if she is elected.

For more information  www.esmeraldasoria.com