Elito Santarina:
Determined to serve the city of Carson
By Val G. Abelgas
December 2000
When Lito Santarina decided to throw his hat into the political arena in 1998, it was out of a sincere desire to help the people of the city of Carson. The city has been his home for more than 20 years, and he felt it was time to pay back the city that had nurtured him and his family.
Santarina, of course, had helped Carson and its people in so many ways -- in schools, churches, and communities. But he felt then it was time to elevate his community service to a higher level, one that would transcend ethnic and political boundaries. Santarina thus decided to run for one of two council seats that was up for grabs.
He did not have much money to launch a sustained campaign. He did not engage in any horse-trading with any political bloc. He did not enter into any alliance. He ran independently, hoping that the people of Carson would elect him for the person that he is, and for what he could offer the community.
His political naivete cost him. Santarina lost, but proved that one can run an independent and clean campaign. He finished a very close third, losing only by a margin of 522 votes to Mayor Pete Fajardo's protege, Manny Ontal.
One would think that Santarina has learned his lesson in politics. But Santarina apparently believes one can only be a good public servant by refusing to make pre-election commitments to any interest groups, and maintaining his independence throughout the campaign. Santarina is one person who refuses to be subservient to any interest group or political bloc.
Prompted by his sincere desire to serve the Carson community at a higher level, and emboldened by his strong showing in the 1998 elections, Santarina is now seeking to become the next mayor of the city he loves and has served continuously.
Santarina is still running an independent campaign. He still wouldn't "trade horses" with other political blocs. He still wouldn't enter into any political alliance. He is still running based solely on his outstanding record of dedicated community service and a sound program of government.
This time however, Santarina comes fully prepared for the campaign. He has hired a seasoned political consultant in the person of Eric Hacopian, who was responsible for the surprise victory of Filipino-American Armin Reyes in the ABC Unified School District in Cerritos and Artesia last year.
But why the mayoralty? Why not the City Council?
“I was prompted into running for mayor by my ardent desire to serve the people of Carson,” Santarina said. “I also looked at all the options and possibilities, and I concluded that the mayoral race would provide me a better opportunity to serve the community.”
Santarina was probably thinking that the city council race was a tougher field. At least 10 candidates are aspiring for the two council seats available, three of them Filipinos -- Amador Saenz, Sonny Landero, and Rev. Athos Monteclaro. One council seat is conceded to reelectionist Councilwoman Kay Callas. At the time of his decision to run for mayor, Councilman Darryl Sweeney was still eyeing reelection. And if Santarina sought a council seat, he would be the fourth Filipino candidate, which could reduce the chance of a Filipino victory.
Santarina would rather face Fajardo, his close friend and political ally for years prior to the 1998 elections. They first squared off in 1998, although Fajardo was running for mayor. With his usual "horse-trading" brand of politics, Fajardo won the mayoralty and his personal battle with Santarina by pulling his protege Ontal to victory.
Recent developments, however, may not allow a Santarina-Fajardo frontal clash. Health and legal problems have reportedly made Fajardo reconsider running for reelection. Fajardo, who reportedly suffered two mild heart attacks, had to undergo an angioplasty operation in Manila, where he had gone to visit an ailing mother-in-law. Fajardo left last Nov. 30 and has not been back since, prompting speculations that he may withdraw from the race.
Rev. Athos Monteclaro, who was a close Fajardo supporter and one of three Filipino candidates for the City Council, went to Manila to visit Fajardo and to personally obtain from the mayor what he had in mind.
Monteclaro told the Carson-based Ang Peryodiko that he talked to Fajardo twice, once in the presence of Fajardo's wife, Clara. On both occasions, Fajardo told him he was withdrawing from the race, and that he had ordered his supporters to close down his headquarters. But in an interview with the Asian Journal, Fajardo denied ever telling anyone that he was withdrawing from the race, and that he was coming back to start his campaign.
This was not the first time that Fajardo had flip-flopped about his candidacy. In 1996, when he first ran for mayor, he announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for "personal reasons" only to withdraw his withdrawal later. Fajardo eventually won, with the strong support of Santarina, who was persuaded by Fajardo to withdraw his own candidacy so he could horse-trade with the African-American bloc.
“I would be relieved if Pete indeed withdraws his candidacy because that would ultimately lead to the reunification of the Filipino-Americans in Carson,” Santarina said. “However, I am bothered by reports that Pete is supporting the candidacy of Sweeney. This is not good for the Filipino-American community, which has supported him all these years. Instead of solidifying the community to maintain the gains we have made as a people in terms of political empowerment, it seems that he has turned his back on his own community.”
Santarina said he hopes Fajardo “does a rethinking of his priorities and stops playing politics.”
Whether Fajardo runs or not, Santarina is proceeding with his high-level campaign. The distinguished educator and community leader said he is basing his campaign on leadership and integrity.
“I'm a person whose sincerity rests in my conviction to help people. I work hard. I believe in independence, simplicity and fortrightness. I can do the job and I can prove that I can. I owe it to the people who have helped me to be service-oriented, and I am determined to succeed,” Santarina said.
This determination to serve and to succeed has endeared Santarina to his thousands of loyal followers. As in his previous campaign, Santarina is supported by hundreds of volunteers, who gather at his headquarters on Main Street to help send out mailers, put up posters and streamers, make phone calls to voters, and do other things for the campaign. Santarina's campaign was further boosted by the unequivocal support of the Pilipino-American Alliance (PAA), headed by Mrs. Rose Bonoan, which was largely instrumental for Fajardo's previous poll victories. The Pilipino American Alliance has decided to throw its support behind Santarina because it feels betrayed by Fajardo's strong alliance with the camp of Rep. Juanita McDonald.
With the PAA, the Filipino Community of Carson and other Filipino groups solidly behind the candidacy of Santarina, the Nueva Ecija native has become the strongest candidate in the field of six mayoral aspirants. Aside from Santarina and Fajardo, the other mayoral candidates are African-Americans Sweeney and James H. Peoples, and Japanese-Americans former Mayor Mike Mitoma and city clerk Helen Kawagoe.
If Fajardo pursues his candidacy, it will be a four-way fight among Santarina, Fajardo, Sweeney, and Mitoma, who continues to command a loyal following. Fajardo's withdrawal could propel Santarina way ahead of Sweeney and Mitoma.
Elito Macapagal Santarina started his distinguished community service as a young teenager in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija in the Philippines, serving as a volunteer in various church and community projects. He graduated as valedictorian from the College of Immaculate Conception in 1962, and was named Most Outstanding Student of Nueva Ecija that year. He stayed on to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Education, and a Bachelor of Arts, major in English. He earned his MA in Education from the California State University in Dominguez Hills. He also took graduate studies at the Ateneo de Manila University, St. Louis University in Baguio, National University in Los Angeles, University of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and CSULA.
At 22, Santarina started his distinguished career as a school teacher in his alma mater, the College of the Immaculate Conception in Cabanatuan City. Two years later, at the young age of 24, Santarina was named principal of the institution's high school department, which had 2,000 students at the time.
In July 1974, Santarina and his young family migrated to the United States, and settled in Gardena, Carson's next-door neighbor. After trying various jobs, Santarina went back to teaching in 1977 as a substitute teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He became a regular teacher the next year, teaching at the Thomas Starr King Junior High School in Los Angeles. In 1980, he started teaching at the Southbay area, assigned as a Resource Specialist Teacher at the Wilmington Junior High School, serving the children of Carson, Wilmington and parts of Long Beach.
In 1994, Santarina started his three-year stint as a teacher at Carson High School, during which time he was able to interact with many parents and students in the City of Carson, thus paving the way for a crack at Carson politics.
All those years that he was teaching, Santarina was also deeply involved in community service. In 1980, he served as a board member of the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA). He is an active member of various organizations, such as the Filipino American Educators Association of Southern California and the Cabanatuan City Association. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, 4th degree; Kiwanis International, Carson Aerie Eagles #400, Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club, and is a senior warden of the Free and Accepted Masons of California, Torrance University Lodge 394.
Santarina helped organize the Pilipino American Alliance, serving as its founding president. Santarina was also chairman of the board of the influential Filipino Community of Carson.
From 1996 to 1998, Santarina served as one of the vice chairmen of the Philippine Independence Centennial Commission, which coordinated the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day centennial. Santarina also served as a commissioner of the Planning Commission, and as a commissioner for parks and recreation in the city of Carson. He was also a member of the Carson Coordinating Council, cochairman of the Carson 30th Anniversary Committee, vice chairman for youth affairs of the Sister Cities Association of the City of Carson, and member of the Community-Wide Advisory Council of the city of Carson.
His distinguished career in teaching and community service has earned for Santarina numerous awards, including a Cultural Community Award from then Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, a Community Service and Leadership Award from the Optimist Club of Los Angeles, Outstanding Educator Award from the Asian Pacific Educators Commission of LAUSD, Exceptional Leadership Award from the Pacific Association, the Community Educator and Leadership Award from Mayor Sheldon Baker of Glendale, Citizenship Award and commendations from the City of Carson, and the Knights of Columbus Award on Civics.
“I have always been a people-person. I love reaching out to people,” Santarina said.
Santarina listed his priorities if elected as mayor as follows:
1. Initiate programs to clean up hazardous waste sites in Carson.
2. Create jobs and initiate economic expansion.
3. Expand opportunities for the youth.
4. Attend to the special needs of seniors and veterans in Carson.
5. Improve public safety.
6. Establish a Public Safety Commission.
7. Bring back public confidence to local government.
8. Act as bridge among and between rich mosaic communities in Carson.
“With the people's support and understanding, together we can all do these things,”Santarina said. |
