My Qualifications

Education

I graduated with a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago with general honors in 2011. In order to improve my skills with bookkeeping, I took an accounting course and gained a certificate in 2017.

Employment

After graduating, I moved on to bookkeeping with my family’s business, Flourishing Daylilies, a small but busy plant nursery. There, I keep track of large quantities of transactions, and use the data to assist in the tax filing process.

I have been working as a home healthcare aide since 2016. I assist with activities of daily living: personal hygiene, dressing, feeding and housekeeping.

Pinole Planning Commission

I am currently serving on the Planning Commission. Through my work on the Planning Commission, I have developed a deeper understanding of the general plan, how it’s actually implemented in practice, and the concerns parts of the community often have over new development, as well as the limits state law places on our ability to address those concerns. My attention to detail has made the planning process more transparent for the commission, public, and applicants. One project I worked on was Vista Woods, a 179 unit 100% affordable senior housing project to help address our community’s housing shortage. It’s a $20 million dollar investment in our city that employs local contractors, like Dimension Construction. If you are interested in learning more about this project or the other projects I have worked on, write to me at rafael.menis@gmail.com.

Community Engagement

I also served on the Community Service commission, where I helped the community more directly through taking part in events like Coastal Cleanup and Dumpster day.

Finally, I ran for Pinole City Council in 2018, and for Treasurer in 2020, at which times I made several documents to help clarify the city’s budget for the general public. More broadly, before and after those runs I’ve made statements and inquiries at city council and finance subcommittee meetings to help clarify and occasionally correct points about the city’s budget and the city as a whole.