Ignacio De La Fuente
| Ignacio De La Fuente | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member Oakland City Council District 5 |
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In office 1992–2013 |
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| Succeeded by | Noel Gallo |
| Vice Mayor | |
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In office 2009–2011 |
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| Succeeded by | Desley Brooks |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 1, 1949 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
Ignacio De La Fuente (born January 1, 1949) was an Oakland City Councilmember. He was also the President of Oakland's City Council until January 2009, when he became vice mayor of Oakland.
De La Fuente was born in Mexico City, immigrated to California at the age of 21, and subsequently became an American citizen. De La Fuente settled in Oakland, California and began working in a foundry as a machinist.
In 1977 he was elected as a union representative of Phoenix Iron Works. Today De La Fuente serves as an International Vice President for the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics, and Allied Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, where he negotiates for members through the collective bargaining process.
First elected to the Oakland City Council in 1992, he served as the chair of the Council's Economic and Community Development Committee until January 1999. When Oakland adopted the Strong-Mayor form of government, that removed the Mayor from the City Council and created the position of Council President. De La Fuente became the first Council member to be elected by his peers to serve as President of the Oakland City Council in 1999. He has been re-elected to this position every two years since then.
In 1998, when the Oakland City Council deputized the Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative to distribute medical marijuana, De La Fuente cast a negative vote, saying that he could not support such efforts in "good conscience," citing concerns over abuse as well as control, certification, and monitoring of caregivers. De La Fuente supported efforts in 2003 to shutter all of Oakland's dispensaries but one, contending that "at least half of the clubs (were) selling pot for recreational use."
De La Fuente ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Oakland in 2006, placing second of three major candidates, behind the winner (former Congressman Ron Dellums) but ahead of challenger Nancy Nadel. On June 16, 2006, after a careful ballot recount, and a dispute over whether votes for unqualified write-in candidates such as George W. Bush and Homer Simpson counted towards the total, Dellums was declared the winner in the Oakland mayoral race. Dellums garnered the 50.18 percent majority he needed to win the election This was 155 votes more than needed to avoid a runoff. Dellums received 41,992 votes, while De La Fuente received 27,607 votes, and Nadel 10,928 votes.
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