Fontana Mayoral candidate Bobbi Jo Chavarria received the enthusiastic endorsement of the San Bernardino/Riverside Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers.

The Central Labor Council is a coalition of many unions, both public and private, in the two-county area. It represents more than 75,000 members, which includes active and retired teachers, truck drivers, musicians, firefighters, farm workers, engineers, editors, pilots, public employees, nurses, painters and laborers. The coalition is a major influence on state and local politics.

“I am honored to have the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. I believe the union supports my candidacy because we share the value that all families deserve safety, prosperity and a high quality of life that comes with good jobs and economic opportunity,” Chavarria said.

Chavarria’s campaign emphasizes the need for good-paying jobs, affordable housing, quality education, and business opportunities close to home in a thriving and safe environment.

“I made a pledge to represent the entire city, encourage civic engagement and foster a sense of pride and community and that begins with partnering with labor and others to bring good-paying local jobs to the hard working families that live here. Together, we can make our city work for everyone,” she said.

Bobbi Jo Chavarria is a long-time resident of Fontana.  She is an organizing committee member for GROW Fontana , a  chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).  She has been a volunteer State Regional Coordinator for the Department of Peacebuilding campaign, and established the Inland Empire DoPeace and Nonviolence Alliance (IEDOPNA).  Before her political activism began in earnest, Bobbi Jo operated a successful direct sales business, and has extensive experience in sales and marketing, accounting, computer technology, data processing, graphic design and customer service.  Her work experience also includes knowledge gained in the goods movement industry by truck and rail, as a staff member of a local governing district, and a geotechnology firm.

Both graduates of Fontana High School, she and her husband, Gil, have been homeowners in Fontana since December 1993, and have one son, born in December 2008, and a cat.