Growing up, Richard Hobbs learned the lesson of how a caring government could give a hand up – not always a handout.

When Richard Hobbs was only nine years old, his father was killed in a car accident.  His mother suffered from a mental illness and was unable to care for him – Richard was put into foster care.

Forged from Tragedy
Bounced from foster home to foster home, Richard was eventually sent to a reform school for boys.  At age 14 he took personal responsibility for his life and changed his ways. 

Richard went from as low as a child can go to the top of his class.
He graduated high school as class Valedictorian and President of the National Honor Society.  Richard worked his way through school earning a BA from the University of Missouri, an MA from San Jose State University, an MA from one of Mexico’s top universities, UNAM, National Autonomous University of Mexico and a law degree from Golden Gate University.

Richard served as a Peace Corps volunteer in both Ecuador and Afghanistan.  It changed his life, giving him a greater understanding and commitment to people who were underserved, underrepresented and marginalized in our community.

Starting from the Bottom
Richard’s first jobs in San Jose were as a janitor and a convenience store clerk as he worked his way through school.  Bilingual in both Spanish and English, he became a teacher helping people to learn English and become citizens.  He went on from there to become the Director of Catholic Charities Immigration Program and today heads the Santa Clara County Office of Human Relations where he oversees Dispute Resolutions, Immigrant Relations and Integration, Network for a Hate Free Community, the Youth Task Force and the Human Relations Commission.

College Trustee
As a Trustee of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Board, Richard has been a leader in cutting waste and revitalizing the San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley College campuses.  He founded the  College District’s Committee on Accountability and Effective organization and also chaired the successful $185 million bond measure that drastically rejuvenated the campuses.  Richard Hobbs has also been a leader in partnering with private sector companies to ensure that today’s students have the skills they need to compete for good jobs in today’s workforce.

A Neighborhood Advocate
For more than 30 years, Richard Hobbs has lived in our neighborhoods – East San Jose, Downtown and Willow Glen. He has been active in youth sports, our local schools, keeping our environment clean, and our neighborhoods safe.  Richard Hobbs currently lives with his family in Willow Glen.