| My name is Patty Contreras, I am a proud Democrat and your State Representative for Legislative District 12 (Ahwatukee/Phoenix, south Tempe, west Chandler).
My family has been in Arizona for over 100 years. I am originally from Somerton, a rural farm town in southwestern Arizona near Yuma. I have lived in the Phoenix valley over 40 years and in Ahwatukee-Foothills for over 30 years. My wife and I have three grandchildren, two of whom attend schools in the Kyrene School District.
I retired in October 2021 from the City of Phoenix after over 31 years of service to Phoenix residents. I worked in the Parks and Recreation and Human Services Departments providing programs, activities, and resources for youth, teens, adults, and seniors.
Now that I am retired, I will continue to serve the public as an elected official to help make policy that will benefit our constituents and all Arizonans.
I am a third generation Arizonan. My great-grandparents emigrated from Mexico before Arizona was a state and settled in Morenci where my great-grandfather worked in the mines. They became seasonal farmworkers after moving to the Yuma valley in the 1920's.
My great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents were all at one time farm workers. They worked hard to provide for their families. My grandfather eventually became a salesman in a department store in Somerton and my father became a successful businessman in Yuma.
I am the second oldest of 8 children in my family. I was the first to graduate from college and six of us graduated from ASU. Me, and two of my sisters, have Master's degrees. We all believe in public education, hard work, and caring for our neighbors.
Issues
Two of my sisters are educators and one is a para-professional working in a multi-lingual classroom. My youngest sister teaches in Arizona in the Roosevelt School District. Our educators need to be rewarded and justly compensated for their years of service, being certified, and taking continuing education courses. In addition, it is important to provide living wages to all public school support staff. Our state ranks LAST in per pupil spending. We can do better.
I worked with seniors the past 25 years providing recreational and social services and resources for them. Seniors need resources for caregiving, reliable and safe transportation, and information and resources to keep them safe in their homes as long as possible. I hope to strengthen laws that will provide them more security so they can age in place. We can do better.
As an Arizona Native, I am concerned about our environment and the effects of climate change. Climate change is not only a problem for our forested and rural areas; it is also an urban problem that needs to be addressed. I will work to improve our State's resilience to the effects of climate change and protect our precious water resources. We can do better.
Veterans and Service
We are a very patriotic family. My dad was a proud Army veteran, having served in the Korean War. As a family, we attended Veteran's Day parades in Yuma every year and still continue to do so. My dad was the post commander of the Somerton American Legion where I spent many days as a youth. My dad was also often the emcee or speaker at the American Legion program in Yuma after the Veteran's Day Parades.
We attended Memorial Day activities, too. I have great respect the sacrifices of all of our military both living and who have passed. My father believed, just as I do, in the promise and opportunity of this country. He fought for freedom and democracy and just as I will as a State Representative for this district. |