Manuel Ramirez (California school board candidate)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Manuel Ramirez

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

West High School

Personal

Birthplace

Bakersfield, Calif.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Program manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Instagram

Manuel Ramirez ran for election to the Kern High Board of Trustees to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Ramirez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2024

See also: Kern High School District, California, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2

Incumbent Steven Rodrigue defeated Manuel Ramirez, Otilia Curiel, and Ronnie Cruz in the general election for Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Rodrigue (Nonpartisan)	35.3	8,211
		Manuel Ramirez (Nonpartisan)	26.1	6,084
	Submit photo	Otilia Curiel (Nonpartisan)	25.0	5,811
	Submit photo	Ronnie Cruz (Nonpartisan)	13.7	3,180

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,286
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ramirez in this election.

2016

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2016

Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.

Incumbent Rudy Salas defeated Manuel Ramirez in the California State Assembly District 32 general election.

California State Assembly, District 32 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rudy Salas Incumbent	65.05%	53,056
	Republican	Manuel Ramirez	34.95%	28,502
Total Votes				81,558
Source: California Secretary of State

Incumbent Rudy Salas and Manuel Ramirez were unopposed in the California State Assembly District 32 Blanket primary.

California State Assembly, District 32 Blanket Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Rudy Salas Incumbent
	Republican	Manuel Ramirez

2014

See also: Bakersfield, California municipal elections, 2014

The city of Bakersfield, California held elections for city council on November 4, 2014. Wards 1, 3, 4 and 7 were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was August 8, 2014. In Ward 1, incumbent P. "Willie" Rivera defeated Manuel Ramirez.

Bakersfield City Council, Ward 1, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
P. "Willie" Rivera Incumbent	63.9%	2,526
Manuel Ramirez	36.1%	1,425
Total Votes		3,951
Source: Kern County Elections - 2014 General Election Results

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Manuel Ramirez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ramirez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in southeast Bakersfield. I am a product of local public schools. I have dedicated my professional career to working with underserved communities and at risk youth advocating for families and students affected by community violence. Most recently I worked to provide comprehensive mentoring services to at risk students at local jr high and high school sites as well as young adults returning from incarceration. I have worked directly with local education and community leaders to help transform the lives of those that I had the honor to work with. I am running to continue to support students, and to support educators.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Safe learning environments for all students. Ensuring that all students, staff and faculty feel safe and secure not just physically but mentally as well.
• Expanding workforce development. Working with local workforce development partners, local partners in labor, etc to continue expanding opportunities for students to gain valuable skillsets.
• Expanding opportunities to higher learning. Ensuring all students have access to higher learning opportunities, continue working with local higher education partners to continue supporting and expanding dual enrollment programs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Teacher retention, supporting our teachers and ensuring that good qualified educators are staying in the district.

Working with education leaders, stakeholders and community based organizations to continue reducing student expulsion and suspension rates.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my grandfather, who immigrated to the US from Chihuahua, MX as an undocumented immigrant, he would later become a US citizen, a business owner and a leader in the community. I would follow his foot steps as someone who fought for community and the those who couldn’t fight for themselves.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, trustworthy, honest

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am trustworthy, I have built relationships with community members and community leaders alike. I was taught from an early age to treat the janitor the same way I would treat the CEO. My passion is to serve, to bridge the gap between those in leadership and community.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent the needs of the community and to advocate for those to which they are elected to represent

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of honor, I want folks to think of me when I’m gone and say, he was a man that walked the talk. That said what he meant, and meant what he said.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11/2001 I was 8 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a pizza maker while in high school, I held that job for 2 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Buried Onions by Gary Soto. It talks about a young Chicano trying to survive life in the barrio without falling victim to the streets, much like myself, I had to make a choice early on, to follow the footsteps of my father and live a life of gangs or make something of myself.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Severus Snape

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Hermoso Cariño by Vicente Fernández

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Not being enough

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To govern over a local school board, to oversee local school budgets, to serve as the representative of the voter on the board. To preside over disciplinary matters when necessary.

Who are your constituents?

The students who attend the local schools that I am running to represent and the voters in that district.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

By fostering open communication, meeting with members of the community, parents and students regularly, visiting school sites on a regular to meet with staff and faculty. Fostering conversations of diversity and inclusion

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Networking, building relationships, building bridges with broader communities. I would target community based organizations providing services to the communities surrounding the schools I’m running to represent, local elected officials, trade unions, agriculture partners, workforce development partners.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

Technical training and apprenticeships, working with our local trade unions to teach our students valuable trades.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Work closely with state partners, if necessary advocate for state bond measures

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

My belief that all students deserve to attend local schools without having to fear. I strongly believe that all of us, students included deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Working with local mental health partners, ensuring that each school site has on site a mental health professional or access to mental health professionals.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to implement new training procedures for school security officers and law enforcement. With the rising threat of school violence our frontline staff need to be properly trained.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kern County Democratic Central Committee

Kern County Young Democrats
Kern County Democratic Women of Kern
California Young Democrats
Bakersfield City Councilman Eric Arias
Bakersfield City School Board Trustee Dr. Chris Cruz Boone
Bakersfield City School Board Trustee Brooke Malley Ault
Bakersfield City School Board Trustee Laura Guerrero Salgado
Greenfield Union School Board Trustee Hortencia Cabral
Edison Elementary School Board Trustee Robert Arreola
Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte
Dolores Huerta Foundation Action Fund
IBEW local 428
LiUNA Local 220
Rudy Salas
Juan Avila
Magda Menendez

Gabriela Gonzalez

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

I feel that the Kern High School District handled the pandemic well.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Regular community meetings, foster opens lines of communication.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Recruiting local first

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

It is my view that those elected to office owe it to the public to be transparent about concerning tax payer dollars that we are responsible for. We are accountable to the voters not the other way around.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

Ramirez's Facebook page highlighted the following issues:

“	My decision to run is simple: the leadership in Sacramento has failed us. I have grown tired of politicians playing politics with our livelihoods; it’s time to put ‘We the People” back in politics! Assemblyman Salas hasn’t represented our interests in the valley, catering instead to his party’s leadership in Sacramento. Most recently his vote in favor of AB 1066, the farm worker overtime bill, showed his disdain for the business of agriculture. I plan to go to Sacramento and fight for the values of the central valley, fight for our Ag and oil industry, fight to create jobs in the valley, and fight to get the water flowing. I’ll also fight against the criminals, gangs and drug peddlers that are devastating our youth in many communities. Every child deserves a chance to stay out of trouble, get an education and find a job.	”
—Manuel Ramirez

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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Candidate

Kern High Board of Trustees Trustee Area 2

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