Two Fil-Ams face off in race for South San Francisco City Council

Vivian Ramos and Mark Nagales / CONTRIBUTED

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Filipino American business executive Vivian Ramos is running for the South San Francisco (SSF) City Council, seeking to unseat fellow Fil-Am Mark Nagales, the incumbent councilmember representing District 2.

Ramos, a South City Cultural Arts commissioner, has over three decades of corporate leadership experience, both with large corporations and start-up companies.

Ramos has played key roles in many community programs, including the annual SSF Police Department Thanksgiving Food Distribution Drive and the Fire Department Holiday Toy Drive.

Vivian Ramos / CONTRIBUTED

“My life’s purpose has always been to serve,” she told Inquirer.net USA. “Even when I was handling global senior executive positions, I was serving the San Francisco Bay Area and the South City community.”

Her parents are from Ilocos and La Union. She is a University of the Philippines alumna and has obtained an MBA in finance from Golden Gate University.

A devout Catholic, Ramos is vice chair of the St. Augustine Parish Pastoral Council and heads its communication ministry.

If elected, Ramos plans to focus on eliminating the budget deficit, promoting public safety, boosting women representation and advancing “the interests of mothers, grandmothers and all women.”

“As a mother who has raised three children in South San Francisco and is now providing child care to (my) grandchildren, I understand the challenges of affordable child care and raising a family because I did it while keeping a highly demanding full-time job and am doing it again,” she said.

Mark Nagales

Before he was elected to the City Council, Nagales served South San Francisco as Parks and Recreation commissioner from 2008 to 2014 and planning commissioner from 2015 to 2018.

He was elected as councilmember in 2018 and is proud to be one of the first Filipinos elected in South San Francisco. Nagales served as Mayor in 2022.

Mark Nagales / CONTRIBUTED

Nagales grew up in South San Francisco and has been part of the community for over 30 years.

He attended local public schools, including Los Cerritos Elementary School, Alta Loma Middle School, and South San Francisco High School. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science.

After graduating from college, Nagales served as an aide to several elected officials, including former Assemblymember Fran Pavley, former Assemblymember Gene Mullin and Congresswoman Jackie Speier.

As Constituent Services director for Congresswoman Speier, Nagales assisted countless seniors, veterans and families access services, including recovering over $5 million in veterans’ benefits.

“In the six years since I was first elected to the South San Francisco city council, we’ve made great strides. My federal, state and local accomplishments prove that I’m ready for the challenges we will face in the next four years,” Nagales said.