Fidel Vargas | |
---|---|
Mayor of Baldwin Park | |
In office 1992–1996 | |
Preceded by | Bette Lou Lowes |
Succeeded by | Bette Lou Lowes |
Personal details | |
Born | August 12,1968 |
Spouse | Melissa Vargas |
Children | 3 |
Education | A.B. Harvard University M.B.A. Harvard Business School |
Fidel A. Vargas (born August 12,1968) is an American financial executive and former mayor of Baldwin Park,California who is CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF),a provider of scholarships and services for Latino students.
Vargas was born in Lynwood,California,one of eight children born to immigrants from Mexico. [1] [2] His father was a carpenter and his mother a homemaker. [3] In 1990, [4] Vargas graduated with honors from Harvard University with an A.B. in social studies and after his term as mayor,received his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. [5]
In 1992,at age 23,Vargas was elected mayor of Baldwin Park,California,defeating Bette Lowes. He was one of the youngest elected officials in the country at the time. [6] Vargas was reelected in 1994 [1] but did not run for reelection in 1997. [4] He was succeeded by Bette Lou Lowes. [7]
While mayor,he implemented a graffiti removal program; [1] and was able to reduce crime by 35% [3] by taking a strong anti-gang stance with horse patrols and helicopter surveillance as well as funded the expansion of the Morgan Park community center. [1] He developed an economic investment plan which attracted several large businesses to the city,the tax revenues of which enabled the city to balance its budget which had been negative for the past decade. [3] Vargas also implemented a first-time home buyer program; [1] and replaced commissioners and board members to better reflect the ethnic character of the city which was at the time was 70% Hispanic,12% white,12% Asian,and 5% Black. [1] His replacement of the police chief with a Hispanic officer created controversy after the officer was named over two higher-ranking white officers;the new chief resigned shortly thereafter. [8] His efforts to replace the City Manager with an executive committee were also reversed late in his 2nd term. [8] He was criticized by his predecessor Bette Lou Lowes for taking credit for programs discussed prior to his tenure;and for having ambitions for higher office. [8] Vargas did not run for reelection choosing to instead attend the Harvard Business School. [3]
Vargas was a founding partner in 2000 of Centinela Capital Partners,a New York-based private equity asset management. [9]
Vargas was on President Bill Clinton's Advisory Council on Social Security;and was one of 12 members on President George W. Bush's Commission on Strengthening Social Security [9] where he advocated for allocating 40% of the payroll tax to go toward a shift to private accounts. [10] He also served on President Bush and President Barack Obama's Commission on Presidential Scholars. [9]
In 2013,Vargas became the executive director and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund [9] (Vargas had been a HSF Scholar during both his undergraduate and graduate studies). [2] At the HSF,Vargas spearheaded efforts to develop algorithms to better match scholars with internships and career opportunities offered by their partners. [2] In 2013,Vargas announced that the HSF would provide grants to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. [11]
In 2021,President Joe Biden appointed Vargas to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. He was one of 22 members. The commission is responsible for recommending young Americans to become White House Fellows. [12]
In 2022,he was one of the Manuel Torres honoree for the celebration of America's Hispanic Heritage. [13]
Time magazine named Vargas as one of the Top 50 Young Leaders in the United States, [14] Hispanic magazine named him one of the Top 30 Young Hispanics in the United States, [15] and he was named one of the country's 100 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. [16] [ better source needed ]
Vargas is married to Melissa Vargas; [1] they have three children. [8]
Agoura Hills is a city situated in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County,California,United States. With a population of 20,330 as of the 2010 census,which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. Agoura Hills lies in the eastern Conejo Valley,nestled between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. Located 35 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and less than 10 miles west of the Los Angeles city limits at Woodland Hills,Agoura Hills is bordered by Bell Canyon and Ventura County. Neighboring communities include Calabasas,Oak Park,and Westlake Village,while the unincorporated area of Agoura sits adjacent.
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County,California,United States,approximately 8 miles (13 km) from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11,1903. As of the 2020 census,the population was 82,868. The city's ZIP Codes are 91801 and 91803.
Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County,California,United States,located about 13 miles (21 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of the Santa Anita Park racetrack,the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden,and Arcadia County Park. The city had a population of 56,364 at the 2010 census,up from 53,248 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Arcadia,Greece.
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County,California,United States. As of the 2020 census,the population was 72,176,down from 75,390 at the 2010 census.
Bell is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County,California,near the center of the former San Antonio Township. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census,down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles. At 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2),Bell is the thirteenth-smallest city in the United States with a population of at least 25,000.
Bell Gardens is a city in the U.S. state of California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Located in Los Angeles County,the city's population was 42,072 at the 2010 census,down from 44,054 at the 2000 census. Bell Gardens is part of the Gateway Cities Region,a largely urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County.
Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County,California,United States. As of the 2020 census,the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains,to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia,to the south by the city of Irwindale,and to the east by the cities of Irwindale and Azusa. Duarte is located on historic U.S. Route 66,which today follows Huntington Drive through the middle of the city. The town is named after Andrés Avelino Duarte,a California ranchero (rancher) who founded the community on his land grant,Rancho Azusa de Duarte.
San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County,California,United States. It was incorporated on April 25,1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513,a decline from the 2010 United States census.
View Park−Windsor Hills is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County,California. The View Park neighborhood is the community surrounding Angeles Vista Boulevard and the Windsor Hills neighborhood is on the southern end to the north of Slauson Avenue.
Whittier is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County,part of the Gateway Cities. The 14.7-square-mile (38.0 km2) city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census,an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in February 1898 and became a charter city in 1955. The city is named for the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier and is home to Whittier College. The city is surrounded by three unincorporated areas sharing the Whittier name,West Whittier-Los Nietos,South Whittier,and East Whittier,which combined are home to a larger population than Whittier proper.
Chino is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County,California,United States,with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region.
Rosario Marin is a Mexican-American politician who served as the 41st Treasurer of the United States from August 16,2001,to June 30,2003,serving under President George W. Bush. She is the first person since William Clark to assume the post without having been born a United States citizen. She is the only foreign-born Treasurer of the United States.
The Eastside is an urban region in Los Angeles County,California. It includes the Los Angeles City neighborhoods east of the Los Angeles River—that is,Boyle Heights,El Sereno,and Lincoln Heights—as well as unincorporated East Los Angeles.
Edward Ross Roybal was a Mexican-American politician. A member of the Democratic Party,he was the first Latino American to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council,serving from 1949 to 1962. He later served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 to 1993,representing portions of Downtown and East Los Angeles.
Lloyd Monserratt,was an American political activist and Director of Constituent Services for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials,where he trained a number of future Latino politicians. While studying at the University of California,Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1988,he was elected student council president. When he was subsequently ruled ineligible to hold office,the resulting campus unrest and demonstrations made national headlines and led to charges of endemic racial discrimination at the California public university. At the time of his death,Monserratt was chief-of-staff for Los Angeles City Councilmember Nick Pacheco.
Thomas R. Yarborough was an American civic leader and politician. In 1948,he became the first African American elected to a California city council. In 1966,Yarborough became the first African American mayor of Lake Elsinore,California,and one of three African Americans to be elected mayor that year in California.
Save Our State (SOS) is an activist organization opposed to illegal immigration in California. The organization's methodology revolves around the 'transference of pain' and it has been described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
South Los Angeles,also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central,is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County,California,lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles,south of downtown. It is defined on Los Angeles city maps as a 16-square-mile (41 km2) rectangle with two prongs at the south end. In 2003,the Los Angeles City Council renamed this area South Los Angeles.
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County,California,United States. At the 2020 census,the city had a total population of 67,265,down from 69,772 at the 2010 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the central portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in 1921,Lynwood was named after the Lynwood Dairy and Creamery,from which the local station of the Pacific Electric Railway had been named.
Santiago Pozo Arenas is a marketing executive,producer,screenwriter and film director. He is the founder and owner of Arenas Group and Arenas Entertainment from 1988 to 2019,the year in which he sells the marketing and publicity divisions to the agency D2H. He is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood,the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España,the Board of Trustees of Nebrija University and in the mid-eighties he was freelance to the Spanish newspaper El País in Los Angeles.