Veronica Shinzato is a small business owner, who has owned a family-operated restaurant for 25 years and a renter. Veronica is a single working mom to Massimo and Charlie and to her dogs, Nano and P-Nut. An immigrant from Peru of Okinawan descent, she was raised in the Inner Richmond. A proud graduate of San Francisco’s public schools in the Richmond District, Veronica holds a M.P.A. and a B.A. from the University of San Francisco. Veronica has two decades of local and state government experience, working tirelessly on behalf of working families and undeserved communities.

Veronica has dedicated her career, fighting on behalf of underserved communities: from her time as an aide to former Supervisor Jose Medina, the first Latino to be elected to the Board of Supervisors, to working for then-State Senator Carole Migden, a trailblazer for women and LGTBQ+ in politics, and advising her on the most vexing challenges facing Bay Area residents. Veronica spent five impactful years after that working at the CA State Board of Equalization and currently works at the Calfiornia Department of Tax and Fee

Some of Veronica’s proudest accomplishments include putting together a coalition that helped fund and build the Valencia Bike Lane in San Francisco and securing $2 million in state funding for the Calles Program, the Mission Playgrounds, the Nihonmachi Little Friends, and the Bayview Opera House. 

During these difficult times, I beleive we need more human decency in government.  I find myself relating more to Dr. Seuss political philosophy  "the link between human rights and human governance". 

Veronica currently works at the California Department of Tax and Fee (CDTFA) – the Sales Tax collector. For the past nine years, Veronica led the implementation of classes and programs to assist small business owners and nonprofit organizations, where she was the the 2020 recipient of the CDTFA’s Superior Accomplishment Award for increasing California’s voluntary tax compliance and increasing by 200%, the tax education programs and classes for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

As we face an unprecedented crisis brought by COVID-19, as a small business owner, affected by shelter in place, Veronica understands what it would take to rebuild a more inclusive economy.

I'm a first generation immigrant who came to San Francisco at the age of thirteen, arriving in the city with my single mother and brother. I learned how to navigate a new city while learning a new language. I have served our City at every level and understand how policy goals at the top are implemented into operational actions for San Francisco residents. A lifelong public servant, I have committed my career to giving back to our City. Over the past fifteen years, I served in leadership positions at San Francisco Recreation & Parks and City College of San Francisco, overseeing millions of dollars in capital improvement projects and park bonds projects, and also oversaw the implementation of Free City College.