Lagunes recently announced his candidacy for city council District 2, currently held by Councilmember Will Arnold
By HANNAH SCHRADER — city@theaggie.org
Victor Lagunes is a Da Vinci Junior High History teacher and has worked for the school since 2013. He is president of the Davis Teachers Association and is a board member of the Davis Community Action Network. Lagunes next goal is to be elected to city council.
Before working in the Davis Joint Unified School District, Lagunes obtained his bachelor’s degree in teaching credentials and master of teaching from UC Davis. His experience has influenced his platform for city council, focusing mainly on providing Davis with high-quality education and affordable housing, as well as supporting small businesses in Davis.
“We have a lot of challenges right now in terms of offering housing, and I think that one of the distinct key links that I see from my experience is the link between housing and our schools and the success of our schools,” Lagunes said.
Lagunes said all of the issues his campaign is focused on are related, especially housing and education.
“I think that you start seeing the overlaps and also the importance of how one discussion can’t be separated from another, right?” Lagunes said. “When you talk about what some of these [issues are], you have to talk about others in connection to those.”
When asked how Lagunes plans to achieve his goals, he said he will try to understand the city’s current situation and evaluate how to integrate these issues to create a realistic plan.
“I think that it is about the needs that the community has in that moment and jumping in and making sure that I am engaging with the community,” Lagunes said.
Lagunes said his ability to learn is what makes him a unique candidate and that he will dedicate himself to serving the Davis community if elected.
“One of the things that I know is that I’m willing to walk the walk and do the work in order to learn what I don’t know,” Lagunes said. “I think that that’s one of the things that’s going to be most critical should I be elected. I hope that […] people recognize that I’m going to do what I need to do in order to be successful and I think that I’ve had that experience already.”
Mark Housing, a UC Davis professor of physiology who works with Lagunes with the Davis Community Action Network, believes that Lagunes is an advocate for teachers in the Davis community.
“I think [Lagunes] is acutely aware of [issues facing educators] and has been advocating for solutions to it for years, including higher pay for teachers, and has now gotten on board with Davis candidates and its inception,” Huising said. “I’m grateful for what happened. He’s just a phenomenal leader and a very nice person to vote for.”
Huising said that Lagunes is young and has something to offer that sets him apart from other candidates in this race.
“I think [Lagunes] is young,” Huising said. “I think he’s articulate. He’s most focused on leadership. As far as [who] he represents, [you] have somebody like him [who] decided to run while he’s still relatively young.”
Huising shared what he believes Lagunes would bring to the Davis City Council if elected.
“We have to ask ourselves some really careful questions […],” Huising said. “What type of community, housing and neighborhoods are we building for tomorrow? And I’d be stoked to have somebody like [Lagunes] bring these issues to the forefront at the city council.”
Written by: Hannah Schrader — city@theaggie.org
