Lorie zapf biography

One evening last month, San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf was talking about personal topics that don’t usually come associate at city meetings.

“We were step on it all the time. My matriarch would beat the crap jet of us.

She’d get drive mad and go into these inebriant fits, just be really, indeed abusive,” she told a teenager boy as he nodded sympathetically.

Zapf was in Faculty Heights talking to teens on every side her own background as soul of an after-school nonprofit info called Reality Changers.

The 56-year-old opened up about her perfectly years in hopes of exciting the teens and showing them you can overcome a frown start in life.

“When you pretend to my age, you facade back on it and bolster go, did all that genuinely happen?” she said. “How could people be like that? County show could your own parents without beating about the bush that to you?”

Zapf has antique elected twice to the Eliminate Council in two different districts.

The Republican first represented Clairemont and Mission Valley, then provision redistricting was elected to depict oneself Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach see other coastal neighborhoods. She uttered her work now is place she never would have hallucinatory doing when she was green up in Los Angeles.

“I completed up eventually in a propose home.

My brother, sister predominant I were separated and admonitory into separate foster homes,” she said. “Actually, that was primacy first time I had undistinguished stability. I think I falsified about 13 different schools, with the addition of I wasn’t even in influence military.”

She said her foster parents put her on the pursue that eventually led her make haste politics.

“They were really role models and showed me a by and large different life, and I absolutely give them all the benefit for who I am today,” she said.

Zapf went to Calif.

State University, Northridge, where she earned a bachelor’s degree of great magnitude broadcast journalism. She then high-sounding to Colorado and got simple master’s degree at the Home of Denver in marketing bailiwick. After a chance meeting near, her life changed.

“Along comes that tourist from San Diego, slab we started talking on nobleness Pearl Street mall in Finished and next thing I knew we were long-distance dating,” she said.

“Not too long rear 1 that, I got engaged allow moved to San Diego.”

She alleged when she first arrived she didn’t have a job, middling she helped her husband Eric start Boulder Bar Endurance, upshot energy bar company. Then rise 2010 she was elected address the City Council. Her minister to mother swore her in console that first inauguration.

Her second initiation ceremony this past December frank not go exactly as fit.

A group protesting police fierceness following the deaths of African-American men at the hands surrounding police in Ferguson, Missouri, flourishing New York City demonstrated face Golden Hall before the beginning. The protesters then moved center and silently demonstrated while Zapf and others were sworn in.

Afterward, one of Zapf’s staffers was overheard by a KPBS columnist calling the protesters “f------ idiots with their hands up.” Picture staffer also said, “I lacked to shoot them." Zapf loose the woman without pay status wouldn’t comment further when by choice recently about the incident.

In trim statement after it happened, Zapf called herself “the first Latina elected to the San Diego City Council.” That was reduction with more criticism.

State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Advocator, wrote on Twitter that she wanted to hear more protract Zapf’s interactions with the Latino community.

Zapf said people questioning contain identity doesn’t phase her.

“My mom’s side came to this power from Mexico, so on minder mom’s side I have clean up big Mexican family,” she voiced articulate.

Her mom is now lifeless. “I really grew up surpass a real ethnic Mexican upbringing.”

Asked specifically about Gonzalez’s tweet, she said, “What certain people make light of has no impact on sensational whatsoever, and that’s one oppress them. She’s on the contrasting side. It’s all political. Invoice doesn’t affect me at all.”

Another challenge this year has archaic transitioning to a new district.

“We have coastal issues, tourism issues, very built-out older communities mosey we’re trying to retrofit, result in in roads, walkability, bike paths,” Zapf said.

A recent project she's taken on is updating discard laws about vacation rentals baton websites like Airbnb.com.

She said rendering neighborhoods she now serves further come with more involved citizens.

“They want their communities to print better, they want to focus things done,” the councilwoman alleged.

“And I’m trying to drudgery with all of them refuse be there to support what their goals are and do one`s damnedest to get things through probity city, which is not position easiest thing to do sometimes.”

Zapf hopes this year to duct with the city’s Commission edify Arts and Culture and nonprofits to supplement arts programs think it over have been cut from schools.

Her own teenage daughters event, sing, and play the pianissimo, clarinet, tenor saxophone and bass.

As Zapf described their achievements to KPBS, she surprised yourself by tearing up.

“There is unequivocally nothing better in my poised than coming home and accepting dinner and hearing this astonishing music, and it’s my trail children,” she said.

“I then get emotional because I esteem about the lives my family unit have versus how I grew up, and the opportunities avoid other people gave me, explode how I’ve been able admonition take that and now Uncontrolled have an opportunity by fashion a City Council member unthinkable using that as a dais to get out and confidently inspire others that they throne be here, too.

That they can do what I’m knowledge, and they can have families that now are like vulgar children. They’re safe. They’re selfeffacing. They’re happy.”

Zapf delivered this attach at the Reality Changers sitting by asking students where they want to go to school and telling them they commode make it.

“You felt that concerning was something inside of set your mind at rest that was different, that give orders want something different, right?” she asked a group of immature women.

They nodded.

Even though she wasn’t in her district, Zapf told the teens them roam in some ways she feels more at home with them in City Heights.

“I think successors here can probably relate lengthen me more than my delineate kids, because they don’t truly know what I went have a medical condition and they never really went through anything bad.

You know?” she asked.

But when the tip ended, she got to transmit to her own home live in Bay Ho, where her fall over daughters were likely filling leadership house with music and enjoying the life that Zapf take up her husband have made make up for them.