Political Campaigns
Armando Urteaga for East Whittier School Board
Armando Urteaga was elected to the East Whittier Board of Education in 2005 and is currently serving in his third term. Board Member Urteaga has been a school administrator for over 18 years, with the last eight years as a middle school principal.
The Santa Maria Group consulted Armando Urteaga on critical aspects of his campaign for re-election to the East Whittier School Board, engaging in general consulting including crafting the primary message and platform of his campaign. Accordingly, SMG composed the mailers of the campaign, which included the content, design, and distribution of mailers to the corresponding base of constituents. SMG also led his social media and email campaign, connecting voter information of the East Whittier School Board with the campaign accounts. Lastly, SMG played a critical role in his Get Out the Vote efforts. We strategically planned both operational campaign functions as well as his Get Out the Vote efforts, involving Robo-calls to disseminate his message, phone banking to connect directly with his constituents, and door hanging of his mailers to remain prevalent in the minds of voters through the use of informative materials.
Through the work of SMG, Board Member Urteaga was re-elected to the East Whittier School Board with exceptional support. He came in first place, leading with 11,667 votes, which leaves a margin of 3,358 between his first place position and the second place winner. East Whittier School Board Member Armando Urteaga is currently serving his third term.
Claudia Alvarez for Orange County Superior Court Judge, Seat #5
Claudia Alvarez sought to build upon her twenty-year career as a district attorney and experience as a Santa Ana City Councilmember to become a Superior Court Judge. Succeeding her colleague and supporter Jacki Brown, Claudia campaigned on a “law and order”-focused platform. SMG targeted judicial and law enforcement-centric communities and representatives through email newsletters and social media channels.
Eileen Wang for Arcadia City Council
As a longtime Arcadia resident and business owner, Eileen Wang sought to begin a political career through election to the Arcadia City Council. Through her community involvement as the founder of a college preparatory and member of several national advancement organizations, the Santa Maria Group crafted messaging to create trust among voters, especially in Arcadia’s Chinese population. Eileen successfully won her campaign and serves as one of the few women to serve as an Arcadia City Councilmember.
Georgina Tamayo for Montebello City Council
Georgina Tamayo brought robust experience in urban planning, finance development, and housing through her career among the City and County of Los Angeles, and various non-profit organizations. Running against an incumbent who previously served as Montebello’s mayor, Tamayo ran on a platform centered around instituting sound and effective policy decisions guided by her experience. As many in Montebello felt the effects of the City’s mismanagement under the current leadership, Tamayo used her candidacy to signal a hopeful “return to form” for many residents.
The Santa Maria Group worked closely with the campaign team to advice campaign strategy and craft focused messaging on a week-by-week basis to address relevant concerns on behalf of residents and voice solutions that the opposition lacked. Georgina Tamayo successfully unseated the incumbent councilmember and currently represents Montebello’s Council District 1.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 11
Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 11 hired the Santa Maria Group to create social media and email content and publicize candidates for the 2021 Executive Board election. Through a consistent messaging platform espousing transparency, fiscal discipline and accountability, participation, and increased pay and benefits, the Santa Maria Group effectuated favorable salience among Local 11 members, delivering the successful election of a new Executive Board under Business Manager Joel Barton and President Rusty Roten.
Under their leadership, Local 11 built relationships with the EAA to ensure more productive communication, negotiated the best and largest monetary contract in Local 11 history, eliminated intrusive and unfair hair follicle testing, overhauled management of the pension plan for double digit returns and an exit from the rehabilitation plan years ahead of schedule, secured more job-producing Project Labor Agreements than any other local construction trade local, and opened two new union halls in the South Bay and Diamond Bar.
Jennifer Gutierrez for Montebello Unified School District Board of Trustees
The youngest Board of Education member to be elected to the Montebello Unified School District (MUSD), Jennifer Gutierrez sought re-election with a student and parent-focused campaign platform. In her next term, Gutierrez would advocate for improved educational outcomes, a stronger focus on student safety, and financial responsibility.
The Santa Maria Group conducted a mailer-focused campaign to highlight Gutierrez’s education, experience, and vision. Supplemented by weekly email newsletters, this robust outreach campaign resonated with voter sentiments, resulting in Gutierrez’s successful re-election.
Jon Kaji for Torrance City Council
Jon Kaji is a community leader and business owner who sought election to the Torrance City Council. His economics-focused platform touted his robust business acumen as a guiding point to deliver resources and opportunities to foster the development of small businesses in Torrance.
SMG conducted Get Out The Vote efforts throughout May 2022 in preparation for the June 7th Vote. Leaders organized daily door-to-door canvassing while engaging constituents through social media posts and email newsletters, promoting the candidate several times per week. Voters elected Councilmember Kaji by a wide margin, and he continues to serve as a steadfast ally of Asian American and small business advocacy.
Michael Cao for Arcadia City Council
Michael Cao is a doctor and Air Force veteran whose passion for community involvement guided his pursuit of various commission and committee appointments. Seeking his first role as an elected representative, Cao hired the Santa Maria Group for our expertise in campaign communication. Our team delivered weekly emails, social media posts, and physical mailers and collateral to keep voters abreast of Cao’s campaign platform and voter updates. Through this consistent communication with residents, the Santa Maria Group significantly increased Cao’s prominence among the four candidates to represent Council District 5. Cao was successfully elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022.
Trisha Murakawa for El Camino Community College Trustee
Serving as a city commissioner for 24 years, Trisha Murakawa sought election to a public office. The El Camino Community College Board would provide her the opportunity to combine her passion for education with her skills as a dedicated public servant and professional communicator to create greater opportunities for local students.
The Santa Maria Group undertook a straightforward approach, directing focus toward digital communications. Our team utilized high-impact messaging to construct an actively-updated website, social media campaign, and email newsletters with only one mailer to complement the online-centric strategy. Trisha Murakawa was successfully elected to the El Camino Board of Trustees in November 2020, defeating her opponent by 18.85%. The Santa Maria Group continues to work closely with her, as she stays active with the AA Victory PAC and other upcoming initiatives.
Yvonne Yiu for Monterey Park Mayor &
Tony Ding for San Gabriel City Council
As businesspeople, rather than politicians, running against sitting incumbents, the campaigns to elect Yvonne Yiu and Tony Ding required a specialized, sophisticated, and in-depth grassroots approach.
In addition to utilizing traditional campaign methods such as phone banking, mailers, and email newsletters, the Santa Maria Group developed a robust field strategy. These programs centered on door-to-door canvassing and heightened social media and text messaging to maximize reach in their respective communities. The team also translated messaging into multiple languages (English and Mandarin) to appeal to local sentiments and values as a brand identification methodology.
Strategic field operations in tandem with traditional political approaches ensured the success of both candidates in Spring 2020. Tony Ding remains active on the City Council as San Gabriel's Vice Mayor, and Yvonne Yiu has begun her next campaign in the California State Controller's race.