Palacio Podcast
Ray Morquecho Has Been Speaking Up Since He Was A Child
Ray Morquecho is a candidate for the vacant Long Beach First District City Council seat vacated by Lena Gonzalez. Ask him why he’s running in a crowded field and his answer is simple: from an early age, he learned to speak up.
“My mother told me that when I was 5 or 6, I saw something on the news and rather than being confused or scared, I said this isn’t right and I gotta write a letter to the President.”
For Morquecho, this vacancy on the City Council was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s an opportunity for me to give back to the city I’ve called home for thirteen years and try to change the way people see elected officials.”
Ray Morquecho believes that part of the political problem these days is the lack of listening. To him, there are two sides shouting at each other and no one is listening causing the citizens to be in the middle and overlooked.
PalacioMagazine.com joined Ray Morquecho at Utopia Good Food & Fine Art Restaurant in downtown Long Beach to discuss his policy priorities and his grand vision for the First Council District.
Why Ray Morquecho is Running
“I am running to represent the First District because I believe we deserve more. Local government affects our lives each and every day and I believe the First District’s past representatives lost sight of that fact. As a result, our neighbors are worse off. Their lives are regularly affected by crime; poor sidewalks, roads, and alleys, and a lack of available affordable housing. I am running to make sure the city government gets its priorities straight and focuses on public safety, infrastructure, housing, and our environment in order to improve our daily quality of life. I have always wanted to make a difference and when I came to Long Beach in 2005 to work my way through college, I fell in love with the city. It is a great community but no community is without its challenges. Whether they are complex, like homelessness, or seemingly straightforward, like not raising parking fines, I will work to overcome those challenges with transparency, practicality, and an open mind to all sides of the issues. My vision for the First District is to bring trust back to politics one vote at a time.”
About The Candidate
“As a renter who has worked hard all his life, experienced the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck, and has been an active volunteer in our community, Ray Morquecho knows how the challenges faced by First District residents aren’t always addressed by City Hall.
Ray and his two sisters were raised by their hard-working single mother, who moved her family to Southern California when Ray was a young boy. His mother worked a variety of jobs to make ends meet, and they often stayed with friends and moved from apartment to apartment.
Ray received his diploma from Redlands High School, his Associates Degree from Crafton Hills College, and graduated from the University of California – Irvine with a degree in Political Science. He fell in love with Long Beach and decided to call it home as he was working as a barback at the Pike to pay his way through college.
An internship with the California Board of Equalization eventually earned him a full-time job advocating for and supporting taxpayers and local businesses. As the District Representative for the Vice-Chair of the Board of Equalization, Ray was able to see, firsthand, the importance of working within and on behalf of his community. He is an active member of the Willmore Heritage Neighborhood Association, participates in the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless, and is a member of the Long Beach Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
Eventually, Ray decided to follow his heart and try his own hand as an entrepreneur, starting a small business that has grown every year. He now aims to use what he has learned to support others in following their hearts and achieving financial independence through business ownership.”
For more information on the Ray Morquecho campaign for First District Council office, visit his website HERE.
