Memos

Nomination of Rafael Castellanos and Sid Voorakkara to the San Diego Port Commission

December 28, 2012

I am pleased to nominate Rafael Castellanos and Sid Voorakkara to serve on the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Port Commissioners.

Mr. Castellanos is a partner with the law firm Solomon Minton Cardinal Doyle & Smith LLP in San Diego, where he specializes in commercial real estate and business transactional law. Rafael earned his B.A summa cum laude from Arizona State University, and he earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School as a Cornerstone Scholar.

His professional affiliations include serving as General Counsel to, and a member of the Board of Directors of, MANA de San Diego and also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association (currently as President). He is also a member of the California State Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association, and the Mexican American Business and Professional Association.

Mr. Castellanos was named one of the San Diego Daily Transcript's Top Young Attorneys in 2008, and was named one of San Diego Metro Magazine1s 20 Men Who Impact San Diego in 2011.

Mr. Voorakkara has worked for The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation that makes grants to organizations and institutions, for over seven years. Working closely with high schools, San Diego's hospital and community clinic systems, and numerous immigrant and refugee organizations, he has improved healthcare access for San Diego's most vulnerable citizens and provided opportunities for students to pursue high-growth, high-wage jobs.

Mr. Voorakkara is also the creator of the San Diego Workforce Funders Collaborative, which leverages philanthropic resources with government and the private sector to get San Diegans the training they need for today's job market.

He has served on numerous boards, including Vice Chair of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's Board of Directors; Board member of the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans gender Community Center; former Board member of San Diego Grantmakers Association; member of the Advisory Council to the San Diego Community College Board of Trustees; and founding member of the San Diego Unified School Board's Food Stamp Task Force.

Mr. Voorakkara's extensive skills and qualifications advocating for community health policies, establishing workforce development strategies, and building coalitions have prepared him to be an excellent addition to the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners.

Thank you for the opportunity to nominate such qualified and knowledgeable candidates

David Alvarez with District 80 residents
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