My parents, Narciso and Inocencia, came to Seattle in the 1940’s to seek their dreams. My father joined many other Filipino immigrants who migrated each spring and summer to Alaska to work 18-hours each day in the salmon canning industry while my mother raised the nine of us.
Despite contracting polio in Seattle’s mid-century epidemic, my mother made sure all of us made it through school, while holding down a full-time job as a key punch operator and later as a city employee.
It was only after our family continued to win the Thanksgiving turkey raffle at St. George’s Church on Beacon Hill year after year, that I first realized we were what is now termed as “the working poor,” Still, Seattle was still a city of opportunity for us—because we could get by and still seek our dreams.
My parents could keep up with the mortgage in our modest homes in the Georgetown Area and on Beacon Hill; even though we didn’t own a car, a few cents could get us anywhere on the bus system.
I graduated from Cleveland High School and attended the University of Washington and Bastyr Leadership Institute.
My career began as a labor organizer, working with my lifelong friends Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo, as we fought for the rights and wages of other poor Filipino cannery workers (like my father) who were being exploited by corrupt union leaders.
After Silme and Gene were killed for their efforts, I dedicated myself to continuing their work making unions responsive to the people they represented. I served as Secretary-Treasurer of Local 37 and then as a national organizer for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
In 1990, Mayor Norm Rice asked me to come to work for him as a liaison for labor issues. It was a dream job for me because I was able to work for one of my heroes and learn about how city government works.
Three years later, I was tapped to run the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, building a statewide network of advocates for the Asian Pacific Islander communities as well as supporting programs for at-risk youth, providing welfare reform support for immigrant/refugee families, promoting diversity in state government and increasing trade between Washington state and Asia.
I came back to Seattle full-time in 1999 as the Community Affairs Director at the United Way of King County, allocating millions of dollars to community based programs that help those in need.
Those close to me have known that public service is in my blood, so none of my friends were surprised when I decided to run for Seattle City Council in 2003.
It has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience as I’ve worked over the last 3 years to make our city more affordable so another generation of Della’s and another generation of dreamers could make their roots here.