Welcome The New Poliwonk in Town

A fresh face among San Diego’s political wonks is always a welcome sight. So it’s a pleasure to post word that Peter Amaro has been named the new Policy Analyst at the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.

Amaro’s brief bio: A native San Diegan (hooray!), Amaro received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.  During his time at Georgetown, he worked as a policy analyst with the Harrison Institute for Public Law, where he focused on land-use regulation and environmental policy issues facing state and local governments.  He was also involved with Georgetown’s Environmental Law Society and Habitat for Humanity student groups.  Prior to his legal studies, he worked for AVID Center, a San Diego-based educational nonprofit organization.  Amaro earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude in Comparative Literature and Society from Columbia University.

In addition to Amaro’s arrival, two key SDCTA staff members have new titles. Chris Cate has been promoted to Vice President; Amy Harris has been promoted to Development Director.

Cate plays a leadership role in planning the Association’s public policy and advocacy efforts, as well as SDCTA’s daily operations. Prior to joining SDCTA, Cate served as Audit Committee Consultant at the City of San Diego. He also worked for Jefferson Government Relations in Washington, D.C., where he assisted in developing legislation related to higher education and healthcare. Cate is currently the Chair of the Asian Business Association Public Policy Committee and has served on a number of citizen committees around the County. He is actively involved in issues pertaining to North County and currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Carlsbad Unified School District Bond Oversight Committee. Cate earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego.

Harris manages membership and development opportunities, coordinates special events and conducts policy research for SDCTA. Originally from Colorado, Amy graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her time as a student at CU, Harris worked for the University of Colorado Student Union as Sustainability Director. In this capacity, she authored and implemented university-wide environmental policies, planned educational events, and interacted with the CU Administration on a number of boards and committees.

As polls consistently rate SDCTA among the most ‘influential’ and ‘trusted’ public policy institutions in San Diego, it’s the hardworking staff who help provide the taxpayers with detailed analysis and an independent approach its advocacy on the issues. And let’s not forget that SDCTA throws a swell party and awards event every year, the Golden Fleece & Golden Watchdog Awards.

Congratulations, Chris and Amy! Peter, welcome to the Rostra blogpen. We hope to see you at the next gathering of socialists, fascists and reporters or an Albondigas meeting soon.