Candidate for
Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 6

MARIA CANO FOR L.A. SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 6

Biography

Maria Cano was raised and educated in the San Fernando Valley. As the eldest of seven children, Ms. Cano grew up in a household where education was the number one priority. Her father, Baltazar Cano, was a farmworker and later a proud steelworker, and her mother, Herminia Cano, was a seamstress. They both worked very hard to provide every possible opportunity to their children to succeed. And it is this work ethic, that they instilled in Maria at an early age which has helped her guide many of the decisions she makes today as a professional. As a student in the San Fernando Valley, Maria realized in order to succeed she would have to grasp all the opportunities available to her. While a student at Sylmar High School, Maria challenged herself to participate in student activities such as the Student Peer Counseling program, and the prestigious Academic Decathlon Team. These opportunities helped her thrive as a pupil and graduate with honors. She then enrolled at the University of California, becoming the first in her family to attend and graduate from a University.

Looking back at Maria Cano's formative years, academics were critical to her success, but her community and civic participation was equally important. She learned very quickly responsibility and hard work also contributed to being successful. As an assistant clerk at the San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Legal Services, in Pacoima, Maria learned firsthand about the law and advocated for underserved communities, while helping individuals with matters related to housing, immigration, and health access. She has also dedicated much of her time to working with non-profit organizations that advocate for increased access to education opportunities for students in the San Fernando Valley. Some of the organizations include the San Fernando Valley Latino Arts Council, United for Education Coalition, MEND, Pueblo y Salud, Latin American Civic Association, and MAPA-San Fernando Valley Chapter, to name a few. In addition, as a civic leader, Maria Cano served on the Planning Commission of the City of San Fernando for more than four years. She used her capacity as a civic leader to continue her advocacy for increased education opportunities for children in the San Fernando Valley and adult education.

Most recently, Maria Cano has been using her direct experience as a former employee of the Los Angeles Unified School District to call for stronger funding at local schools. As an employee for the school district, she helped bring San Fernando Valley families together to focus on building new schools necessary to decrease class room sizes and improve student performance scores. Maria spent more than eight years building over 20 new schools in District 6 and directly organizing and managing the community input.

Ms. Cano has also received important recognition by the San Fernando Valley Community on numerous occasions for her tireless commitment to her community. Some of her awards and recognitions include the prestigious Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Democrat of the Year award, by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Maria Cano currently resides in the City of San Fernando where she is helping to provide the same opportunities she received to her nieces and nephews and to the youth in the community.