Of the men shaking hands, Ramon Miramontes is on the right; Ray Whitmer, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 911, is on the left.

On March 10, a Teamster was elected to the Pasadena School Board with 73 percent of the vote. 

Ramon Miramontes is dean of academic affairs at Los Angeles Southwest College and a member of the Los Angeles Community College District administrators unit represented by Long Beach, California’s Local 911.

“Ramon’s election is emblematic of the caliber of our Teamsters Union members,” said Ray Whitmer, Local 911 Secretary-Treasurer. “Our members are involved and leading the way to better lives of working people and their families.”

Miramontes has spent most of his adult life as an educator and involved with social justice issues in Southern California. Along with professors, students and community members, Miramontes helped start and later became the director of a community youth center helping migrant families and their children achieve academic success in Santa Barbara County.

His commitment to service continues, as an executive board member of the non-profit Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD). He and his wife, Guelsy Gomez, have raised tens of thousands of dollars for local high school students by writing grant proposals and fundraising for scholarship money. As a volunteer, Ramon coordinates MPYD’s motivational speakers’ series for youth incarcerated at Camp Miller in Malibu. 

In his previous role as the LACCD Chancellor’s Liaison, Ramon advised the district’s chief executive officer on Latino and governmental affairs and was integral in the creation of a comprehensive communication strategy for LACCD’s academic division and community outreach.