Biographies

2011 California Peace Prize Award Honorees

Ray Balberan

Ray Balberan is an expert at bringing city leaders, law enforcement officials, caseworkers and community members together to create lifesaving programs. Now retired, Balberan continues to build on more than three decades of achievement in violence prevention through advocacy and mentorship. He consults for Arriba Juntos' Northwest Community Response Network, a San Francisco collaborative that coordinates street outreach, health, re-entry and other services for youth and families. Balberan also consults with La Clínica de la Raza, which has locations throughout Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties.

Previously, Balberan was the juvenile court advocate case manager and violence prevention outreach program director at Mission Neighborhood Centers, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering low-income families by providing safety net services. Balberan also served in several positions at Real Alternatives Program, including as director of the Calles Violence Prevention/Intervention Late Night Outreach Program and as chair of a taskforce that helped launch major changes in San Francisco's juvenile justice system in the 1980s.

Balberan retired from the U.S. Navy in 1966 and is a Vietnam War veteran. Born in New Orleans and raised in San Francisco, Balberan is the board chair for Conscious Youth Media Crew and an advisor for the Center for Young Women's Development and United Playaz. He is a key stakeholder in the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Families' Violence Prevention Plan and Street Violence Reduction Initiative. He has received numerous community honors, including the "Warrior of Peace Award" from the Mission District Community Peace Collaborative, and recognition from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. He is developing a street advocacy and outreach manual based on his life's work.

Priscilla Carrasquilla

Priscilla Carrasquilla deeply values forgiveness and providing support to young people who are ready for change. For 15 years, she ran the Clean Slate Tattoo Removal Program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) in partnership with the city of San Jose, Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force. The program removes gang tattoos, which can often inhibit young people from trying to get ahead or search for jobs.

Clean Slate requires youth to complete prerequisites, such as life skills classes or community service, before tattoos are removed using laser treatment. Prior to her recent retirement, Carrasquilla managed several aspects of SCVMC's Clean Slate program, including nursing, organizing volunteer doctors, participating in the community-based Steering Committee, coordinating with the city of San Jose, working with community partners, and securing funds for the purchase and maintenance of laser-removal equipment. Carrasquilla said that the highlight of her work at SCVMC was getting to know courageous, inspiring youth who were committed to improving their lives.

Raised in Belmont, Mass., Carrasquilla attended Boston University and began a career in business. A cross-country vacation inspired her to move to San Francisco. After becoming a Christian, she decided to dedicate her life to helping those in need by becoming a nurse. Carrasquilla enrolled in the registered nursing program at San Jose's Evergreen College and received a B.S.N. from San Jose State University. While at SCVMC, Carrasquilla worked in the medical and surgical unit and later transferred to the clinic, becoming Charge Nurse for various units including general surgery, neurosurgery, plastics and urology. She retired this year and is spending time with her children, grandchildren and doing volunteer work.

Manuel Jimenez

Manuel Jimenez is an agricultural expert and lifelong Woodlake resident who provides direction to youth — teaching them about responsibility, leadership, confidence and respect through gardening. In 1993, Jimenez and his wife, Olga, founded Woodlake Pride, a completely volunteer-run organization that prevents violence in the community by putting youth to work. Originally conceived as a graffiti-removal program, Jimenez soon realized he could put his expertise as a small-farms advisor to great use by engaging the youth in community gardening projects.

The majority of youth that volunteer with Woodlake Pride are from farmworker families. Together with Jimenez and his wife, youth in the program created the Bravo Lake Botanical Garden, which has blossomed from a three-acre seasonal plot to a nine-acre, year-round farm that features a tropical area, a vineyard, several fruit orchards and hundreds of varieties of vegetables. Many of Woodlake Pride's youth go on to college and return to the garden during the summers.

Jimenez has lived his entire life in Woodlake. He received a B.S. in plant science and conducted graduate work in plant protection at California State University, Fresno. He works as a farm advisor for the Small Farms Program within the county's University of California Cooperative Extension. In addition to being recognized for his expertise in agriculture, Jimenez has received numerous awards for his efforts to support youth and build community, including "Man of the Year" from the community of Woodlake, the "H.O. Sergeant Diversity Award" for his work with youth from the California Association of Future Farmers of America, and the "John Harris Award" for community service from Rotary International.