Paula Villescaz is a proud product of public schools from attending K-12 education all the way through graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. She has always placed importance on receiving a high quality education, knowing that with education there would be success and opportunities. Paula was raised by a single mother with an 8th grade education. She is the first person in her family to graduate from college. Paula has been fortunate to be impacted by great schools, caring teachers, and quality counselors, having first hand experience what resources can do for our students.
Elected to the San Juan Unified School District Board of Education in 2016, Paula served two consecutive terms as the board’s president. In her first term on the SJUSD Board, she led the passage of Measure P, the largest K-12 school bond on the ballot. As a result, SJUSD rebuilt aging facilities, ensuring that students of our district could attend great schools at the lowest possible cost to homeowners. Additionally, she spearheaded initiatives to expand access to extracurricular academic programs for all students and increase the number of counselors, social workers, and other support staff working to improve student outcomes. Paula believes every young person should be encouraged to keep learning and striving, whether that’s finding meaningful employment or attending a community or four-year college. She also believes that those who help our students succeed should be properly honored for the work they do. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Paula secured a $3,000 bonus to every worker in San Juan Unified as a ‘thank you’ for their service and sacrifices.When Paula was in college, she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. She faced difficulties with stubborn insurers and benefit caps, and this motivated her lifelong commitment to ensure affordable, quality access to health insurance for every Californian. As an Assistant Secretary for the California Health and Human Services Agency, Paula led the statewide COVID-19 response efforts and the initiatives to expand access to health and human services programs. In her travels across California, she witnessed firsthand how significant the challenges faced by public health departments, schools, and communities were in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. As Assistant Secretary, she prioritized equitable administration of key health and human services programs to reduce health care disparities.