About Jim
My Inspiration
I spent my childhood living on or near Air Force Bases in the United States and Spain. My father, the son of immigrants, earned his wings with the Army Air Corps as one of a handful of Mexican-American pilots late in World War II. Recalled to duty as a pilot for the Korean Conflict, he continued with the Air Force, serving in the Viet Nam War. His legacy of service, integrity, honor, and respect for our country resonates deeply with me.
Family and Work
My father’s retirement from the Air Force took us to Massachusetts, close to my mother’s family. I was accepted at Harvard and majored in Sociology, exploring my interest in organizations and how they work. Following college, I took on a post-graduate fellowship in public leadership with the Coro Foundation in San Francisco, and decided to call California home. For several years, I worked for a non-profit housing development organization in San Francisco’s Mission District, managing and financing affordable housing. Most significantly for me, I met my future wife, Francesca! We’ve been married for 36 years and are the proud parents of a son (29) and daughter (27). I also recently moved my 88-year old step-mother to Lafayette from Massachusetts.
After several years in the Mission District, I applied to business schools and was accepted to Stanford’s MBA program. There, I discovered the field of Public Finance and merged my interest in finance and public policy, helping cities and public agencies fund projects through the sale of municipal bonds. Over my 34-year career as an investment banker, I worked with San Francisco-based Stone & Youngberg, became a partner, and then continued with Stifel Nicolaus after we sold our company. Working with communities throughout California, I grew to understand city finances and appreciate the importance of good decision-making by local leaders. Over my career, I worked on nearly 500 financings amounting to over $16 billion of bonds and was honored by the Stanford Business School’s Hispanic Business Students Association with its 2007 Latino Leadership Award.
Service and Community
With the pandemic, I decided to wrap up my career in Public Finance and focus on my long-time interests in civic volunteering. I had served on many non-profit boards over the years, but was interested in more directly serving my local community. I engaged with my neighbors to organize a Firewise community in the western portion of the Springhill Valley, working to address wildfire risks. I am also an active member of Lafayette Rotary and St. Perpetua Church.
Soon after I retired, I was appointed by the City Council to Lafayette’s General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), serving as Vice Chair and Chair during the work on the Housing Element and, later, the Safety Element to the General Plan. We sought to make community outreach a top goal and I worked with City staff and GPAC members to organize multiple Zoom and in-person workshops. I sought out conversations with all interested parties, trying to better understand perspectives in our community.
I was also appointed by Contra Costa Supervisor Andersen to serve on a board recommending the use of $110 million of annual County Measure X sales tax revenues for projects and services. As that work wrapped up, I was appointed by the Governor as Chair of the California Housing Finance Agency, the State’s key financing agency for affordable housing. CalHFA works to support homeownership for first-time home buyers, finance affordable rental projects and Additional Dwelling Units (ADU’s) across California.
Love Lafayette
Time and again, Lafayette’s can-do spirit inspires me. Hundreds of volunteers serve on a range of boards and committees across our schools, the Chamber of Commerce, the Library and Learning Center, City commissions and many other organizations. In that spirit, I wish to participate and contribute to that effort. I look forward to earning your vote.
~Jim Cervantes
Download my resume here