A SECOND Filipino American is now in the Daly City Council.

Appointed on a 3-1 vote by the city’s current councilmembers, Ray Buenaventura, an FBANC Officer, was chosen to replace former Daly City councilmember Maggie Gomez who vacated the seat last February.

Buenaventura was one of nine candidates who had applied for the vacant seat. He will occupy the seat until the elections this November when voters will choose a permanent replacement for Gomez and finish her term which runs until 2014.

Buenaventura is expected to be sworn into office on Monday, April 11 in the Daly City Council chambers. The public has been invited to attend the ceremonies.

In a statement on his appointment, Buenaventura stated: “I am overwhelmed with feelings of joy, excitement, gratitude, and appreciation for this moment. I am humbled that the Daly City Council has put their faith and trust in me to help lead them through these tough economic times. I realize the enormity of this responsibility and the seriousness of the situation, and I am ready to step up to the challenge.

“I come to the Council with a fresh perspective, new ideas, and new energy to the Council. I am a hard worker and will be active in volunteering for projects and head committees as needed by the Council. I will gladly take the lead on tasks without hesitation… I thrive at challenges and welcome such opportunities to help.

“Although I vow to make my own decisions, I will do so only after careful deliberation and a mastery of the issues. I will listen to the people of Daly City and try to understand their concerns first. I will make myself available to everyone.”

In the same emailed statement, Buenaventura expressed his hopes and vision for Daly City.

“I’d like to see Daly City be not just a gateway to the Peninsula, but a jewel of the Peninsula, a must see-must visit city by the Bay… I want Daly City to continue to be one of the safest, cleanest and most beautiful places to live in the Bay area. I want my children to grow up feeling proud of their city and where they came from,” the statement read.

Buenaventura is no stranger to political and community work. He is an Associate and Alternate Member of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee, and has been involved with the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Jerry Brown.

Buenaventura is also currently a member of the Daly City Library Board of Trustees, Board Member of Skyline College’s President’s Council, Vice President & Board Director at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, and Board Director and Past Vice President of the Daly City-Quezon City Sister City Committee.

A Certified Criminal Law Specialist, Buenaventura has been a practicing attorney since 1988, and is affiliated with the San Mateo County Bar Association, the Asian American Bar Association, the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the Filipino American Bar Association.

He is a Professor of Law and Director of the Youth Court Program at Lincoln Law School in San Jose, and has done pro bono work as volunteer attorney for organizations such as US Center for Immigrant and Refugee Children, Safe Harbor Homeless Shelter, Maple Street Homeless Shelter, First Step for Families Homeless Shelter and the Asian Law Caucus.

Buenaventura is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and received his Juris Doctor from the Whittier College School of Law.