Meet the Santa Rosa City Schools District Area 7 trustee candidates

The Santa Rosa City School board will interview two candidates for the open trustee position on Wednesday.

Deanna Olivarez and Jeremy De La Torre are both longtime Area 7 residents with kids in the school district.

Area 7 encompasses northeast Santa Rosa, Larkfield-Wikiup and Rincon Valley and includes the Carrillo and Rincon Middle School campuses.

The board will interview the two at the regular board meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.

The trustee seat for Area 7 became vacant in March when Laurie Fong resigned to return to Montgomery High School as interim principal after the death of a 16-year-old student, Jayden Pienta, and the subsequent firing of then-principal Adam Paulson.

About Deanna Olivarez:

Her background: A family support coach at the LEAF company, Olivarez is a regular board meeting attendant and has been a resident of the trustee Area 7 for 14 years, according to her application. LEAF provides trauma responsive services for at-risk adopted families in Northern California.

Olivarez was also chair on the California Rural Indian Health Board Head Start Advisory Council. Among her volunteer experience, she listed being a Court Appointed Special Advocate, head coach of Girls on the Run Sonoma County and a foster parent.

She has children in three of the district’s schools, Rincon Valley Middle School, Maria Carrillo High School and Ridgway High School, and held leadership roles in several parental organizations.

Focus goals: In her application, Olivarez said she hopes to repair relationships between the board and community. She wishes to be the person who every community member “feels comfortable approaching and having an open and honest conversation” about the future of public education and needs of the school district.

She also wants to update facilities and technology.

In her own words: “I applied for this seat because I want to bring a balance of thoughts and ideas to the current board where it often seems all are aligned politically and socially,” Olivarez said in a Facebook post. “I know from speaking to many of you that you feel like you are not valued, heard or represented by the board. I would like to be your voice.”

Jeremy De La Torre

De La Torre owns a small business, De La Torre Detail, which performs auto detailing and restoration. He's lived in Area 7 for 24 years, according to his application.

With kids in Rincon Valley Middle School and Maria Carillo High School, De La Torre hopes to bring his parental experience to provide a safe environment for learning.

With decades of experience advocating for students’ academic, social and athletic needs to the school board, he hopes to make student opportunities equitable and sustainable.

His background:

De La Torre was a leader of several parental groups and clubs, as well as vice president of the Puma Athletic Boosters, a nonprofit to support Maria Carillo High’s athletics.

He also served as president of Sequoia Parents Club for eight years and vice president as 11 years. He was also president of the Santa Rosa Lacrosse Club for six years and is on the district’s Safety Advisory Round Table.

Focus goals: De La Torre listed site safety, clear and timely communication and “clear and direct boundaries and structured parameters for students to be able to learn in” as areas the district needs the most improvement on.

In his own words: “I have been advocating for, coaching and encouraging our students for the last 31 years in our community,” De La Torre said in a Facebook post. “Community is my main focus and strengthening our community is the best solution for the current climate our students are struggling with.”

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.