San Fernando Mayor Steve Veres is the most recent addition to the MSRC community. And that's a real plus, because community has always been what drives the newest MSRC member.
One look at his background tells you that Veres is someone who likes to connect with people and help improve the quality of life as well as sense of community. He's served on his city council for six years, but also worked as a teacher, editor of his community newspaper, and as District Director for two California State Assemblymembers. In his spare time, he served as president of the Friends of the San Fernando Library, the city's Historical Commissioner, on the board of the Coalition for Clean Air, a director of the Metropolitan Water District and has been an active supporter of local youth sports and the American Cancer Society. And that's so far - he's just 34 years old.
Growing up in Boyle Heights and Huntington Park, Veres spent a lot of time at his grandmother's home, traveling through Vernon. The drive along that heavily industrialized portion of the LA River made an early impression on the young man.
"It smacks you in the face," he said. "Then you could go five miles in the other direction, and you see a totally different picture, with green space and nice houses." His mother had a deep curiosity about art, music and various cultures and took the family out exploring different communities. "It really helped me to focus on quality of life and get a broad appreciation for a lot of different facets of LA life," explained Veres.
Veres also was able to observe many parts of the city during his long bus rides to and from school. In fact, he was one of the first regular riders of the Blue Line light rail line, which became part of his commute to school. His connection to the City of San Fernando also began in his youth, with some memorable car rides. "We had cousins in the San Fernando/Sylmar area that we visited a lot, but my Mom didn't drive on the freeway, so we would take San Fernando Road all the way. There were a lot of waste facilities, it smelled bad - it was not a nice trip in those days."
Veres graduated with honors from UCLA and continued in the school's Masters Program for Latin American Studies with an emphasis in Urban Planning and proceeded to complete three years of doctoral studies in UCLA's History Department. While his parents had always engaged the whole family in discussions about political issues at home, Veres says his public policy and advocacy focus all came together at UCLA.
"UCLA was a very engaged place then," he said. "If you're curious, the campus provides the opportunity and your experience provides the motivation."
One of his college classmates and friends was former California Assemblymember Cindy Montanez, who at the time, was making a run for a seat on the San Fernando City Council. Veres and other friends with ties to the Northeast San Fernando Valley joined in the campaign. While walking precincts for Montanez, he came across an old Craftsman bungalow in need of some serious repair. He bought it.
"I could have gone on renting in Westwood, but I wanted to live in a place where I could make a difference, where I could contribute to the community," Veres explained. Restoring the Craftsman also sparked his interest in historic preservation, which led to his appointment as the city's Historical Commissioner.
While Montanez, then 25, was successful in her bid to become the youngest member of the San Fernando City Council in history, Veres was hired to turn around the local community newspaper. The San Fernando Sun was more than 100 years old, but it was failing. Veres dove into his assignment as managing editor, intent on "keeping the institution alive," he says. While he hasn't worked there in years, he proudly calls it a quality local newspaper today, despite the fact that as the town's mayor, he's inevitably scrutinized in its pages.
When Montanez was elected to the California Assembly in 2002 - the youngest woman ever elected to the state legislature - Veres joined her staff as District Director. When she left the legislature, he became District Director for Assemblymember Kevin de Leon. But Veres also has taken on a political career of his own, successfully seeking a seat on the San Fernando City Council in 2003, and getting reelected in 2007. And the job of public servant is one he relishes.
"I grew up in a neighborhood where people work all day and come home exhausted. But there was something about the culture, a shared experience of working together to create a positive environment - to overcome challenges," he explained. "I see Santa Monica with the Big Blue Bus and Culver City's Green Buses, and I think, why not here? I get to walk down our Main Street and sit on a bench that wasn't there before. I helped build the first park in this city in 35 years. Since I was elected, we've grown our senior housing five-fold. I can help make life better for my community - I love it."
So with everything else he has going on, why has Veres taken on the additional role of serving on the MSRC?
Because he sees good transportation as the foundation of a good community. Veres explained that people aren't comfortable being pedestrians, if they don't have good transportation options.
"Locally, in our small way, we're intent on providing local alternatives - movies, restaurants, coffee shops, whatever - a local destination to help keep people off the freeways," said Veres. He also helped the city construct a CNG fueling station, which enabled the city to develop a local CNG-fueled trolley system supporting the downtown area. Otherwise, the vehicles would have had to drive to neighboring cities just to refuel. Fittingly, the station was built with the help of MSRC funding.
Veres is looking forward to learning more about the MSRC and its Clean Transportation Funding and helping other communities across the Southland do the same thing. Because making communities better is what really matters to him.
Pictured below: MSRC Member and San Fernando Mayor Steve Veres talks with local seniors about how the city can help address their needs, including new transportation options to improve mobility and reduce emissions.