David Campos
Encyclopedia
David Campos is a Guatemalan-American attorney and member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
representing District 9. The district consists of Bernal Heights
, part of Portola and the Inner Mission
and it elected him on November 4, 2008 in the 2008 San Francisco elections
.
, Guatemala
. Escaping from the Guatemalan Civil War
, he immigrated with his parents and two sisters to the United States illegally
. Although he did not know English, Campos graduated at the top of his class at Jefferson High School
in South Central Los Angeles. Applying as an international student, Campos received scholarships to Stanford University
, applied for legal status through a job, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science
in 1993. In 1996, Campos graduated from Harvard Law School
and became a permanent resident of the United States while attending. Campos worked as a lawyer in private practice and then a Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco. As Deputy City Attorney, Campos was lead counsel in the school desegregation consent decree of the San Francisco Unified School District
, sued the gun industry, and represented the city against PG&E and other energy companies.
resigned from the Board of Supervisors in early December on the day he took his seat in the California State Assembly
and mayor Gavin Newsom
appointed Campos to the vacant supervisorial seat on December 4, 2008. Campos, like Ammiano, is openly gay
.
As Supervisor, Campos introduced legislation in August 2009 that would bar local authorities from notifying the federal government about illegal immigrant
juveniles who were arrested until said juveniles were convicted of their charged crimes. Last year, following the arrest of illegal immigrant Edwin Ramos
for a triple murder, Mayor Newsom amended the sanctuary city
policy of San Francisco to allow the city to refer juvenile illegal immigrant convicted of felonies to federal authorities for deportation. San Francisco had also been referring such youth arrested but not yet tried in court to federal authorities. In an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle
, Campos stated that his proposal "strikes a balance between the former city policy that failed to report people who should have been reported, and the current one, which in essence violates the right of these young people to a hearing on the accusations against them and can ultimately tear them from the protection of their families" and that he believed "every person has the right to a hearing before being punished and is innocent until proven guilty."
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
representing District 9. The district consists of Bernal Heights
Bernal Heights, San Francisco, California
-Location:Bernal Heights lies to the south of San Francisco's Mission District. Its most prominent feature is the open parkland and microwave tower on its large rocky hill, Bernal Heights Summit...
, part of Portola and the Inner Mission
Mission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
and it elected him on November 4, 2008 in the 2008 San Francisco elections
San Francisco Board of Supervisors elections, 2008
The 2008 San Francisco Board of Supervisors elections occurred on November 4, 2008. Seven of the eleven seats of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors were contested in this election...
.
Early life and career
Campos was born in Puerto BarriosPuerto Barrios
Puerto Barrios is a city in Guatemala, located within the Gulf of Honduras at. The bay in which the harbour is located is called Bahia de Amatique. Puerto Barrios is the departmental seat of Izabal department and the administrative seat of Puerto Barrios municipality.Puerto Barrios was named after...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. Escaping from the Guatemalan Civil War
Guatemalan Civil War
The Guatemalan Civil War ran from 1960-1996. The thirty-six-year civil war began as a grassroots, popular response to the rightist and military usurpation of civil government , and the President's disrespect for the human and civil rights of the majority of the population...
, he immigrated with his parents and two sisters to the United States illegally
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
. Although he did not know English, Campos graduated at the top of his class at Jefferson High School
Jefferson High School (Los Angeles, California)
For schools with a similar name, see Jefferson High School.Thomas Jefferson High School, usually referred to as Jefferson High School was founded in 1916, it is the fourth oldest public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
in South Central Los Angeles. Applying as an international student, Campos received scholarships to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, applied for legal status through a job, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1993. In 1996, Campos graduated from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and became a permanent resident of the United States while attending. Campos worked as a lawyer in private practice and then a Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco. As Deputy City Attorney, Campos was lead counsel in the school desegregation consent decree of the San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District , established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California...
, sued the gun industry, and represented the city against PG&E and other energy companies.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Campos took office one month before the other freshman supervisors elected in November 2008: his predecessor, Tom AmmianoTom Ammiano
Tom Ammiano is an American politician and LGBT rights activist from San Francisco, California. Ammiano is a Democrat who has served as a member of the California State Assembly since 2008, representing the 13th district...
resigned from the Board of Supervisors in early December on the day he took his seat in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
and mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
appointed Campos to the vacant supervisorial seat on December 4, 2008. Campos, like Ammiano, is openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
As Supervisor, Campos introduced legislation in August 2009 that would bar local authorities from notifying the federal government about illegal immigrant
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
juveniles who were arrested until said juveniles were convicted of their charged crimes. Last year, following the arrest of illegal immigrant Edwin Ramos
Edwin Ramos
Edwin U. Ramos is a Salvadoran gang member, convicted felon, and murder suspect. An illegal immigrant from El Salvador and member of the Mara Salvatrucha and Sureño street gangs, he is the suspect in the June 22, 2008 triple murder of Anthony Bologna and his sons, Michael and Matthew, in San...
for a triple murder, Mayor Newsom amended the sanctuary city
Sanctuary city
Sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be by law or they can be by habit...
policy of San Francisco to allow the city to refer juvenile illegal immigrant convicted of felonies to federal authorities for deportation. San Francisco had also been referring such youth arrested but not yet tried in court to federal authorities. In an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Campos stated that his proposal "strikes a balance between the former city policy that failed to report people who should have been reported, and the current one, which in essence violates the right of these young people to a hearing on the accusations against them and can ultimately tear them from the protection of their families" and that he believed "every person has the right to a hearing before being punished and is innocent until proven guilty."