Meet Fil-Am candidate for California state senator Rozzana Verder-Aliga

SAN FRANCISCO – Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga, the first Filipino American woman elected to public office in Vallejo and Solano County, is eyeing a seat in the California Senate.

If elected to represent Senate District 3, Verder-Aliga will become the first Fil-Am to serve in the state senate.

She has recently received the endorsement of State Senator Bill Dodd, currently representing District 3.

“Dr. Verder-Aliga has what it takes to be a force for change in Sacramento,” said Sen. Dodd. “Professionally, she’s a leader in mental health services. On the city council, she’s a fierce advocate for the small businesses that define our local communities. And in the community, Rozzana is a trailblazer, inspiring and empowering others who want to see positive change where they live.

Vallejo Vice Mayor Rozzana Verder-Aliga, the first Filipino American woman elected to public office in Vallejo and Solano County, is eyeing a seat in the California Senate. CONTRIBUTED

“Rozzana has my endorsement because her values, her actions, and her accomplishments have, and I believe always will, made her true to the needs of her community. She’s the kind of person who will stand up to the powerful interests who are stopping the kinds of change Californians demand.”

Verder-Aliga holds a doctorate and master’s degree in counseling and psychology. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has worked as a mental health professional for three decades. She is currently a senior mental health manager for Solano County Behavioral Health and responsible for managing the Vallejo, Fairfield and Vacaville Adult Outpatient Integrated Care Clinics.

She was elected to the Vallejo School Board in 1993, elected in 2007 to the Solano County Board of Education and elected to a partial term on the Vallejo City Council in 2013. She was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.

Verder-Aliga, an immigrant from the Philippines and a Vallejo resident for more than 40 years, is married to Nestor Aliga, a US Marine Corps veteran and retired US Army colonel, who is now a Veterans advocate. They raised three sons who all attended Vallejo public schools and graduated from California public universities.

Verder-Aliga currently represents Vallejo’s District 1 and is running in the 2024 election for the state Senate District 3 seat. If elected, she would represent Napa, Solano and Yolo counties, in addition to portions of Contra Costa, Sacramento and Sonoma counties.

“My goal is to reinvigorate the California dream and strengthen the opportunities it promises its people in the state Senate,” she says on her campaign website. “The scale of the issues is larger, but the principles are the same: bring people together, find common ground and move our communities forward to make people’s lives better.”

Verder-Aliga says her superpower is listening.  Listening to the people, and thoughtfully carrying out their priorities, is how she plans to help put California back on track as the next state senator.

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