Brews & Views: Local Affordable Housing on the Coastside and our Farmworker Community with Joaquin Jimenez and Guests

Guest Bios:

Joaquin Jimenez, Vice-Mayor of Half Moon Bay, Farmworker Program Director ALAS

In 2020, Joaquin Jimenez was elected as the first Mexican immigrant to serve on the Half Moon Bay City Council. He has been an advocate and organizer for the community for over 20 years. Currently, he is the Farmworker Program Director for ALAS (Ayudando Latinos A Soñar), a Half Moon Bay-based non-profit cultural and social services organization serving the Coastside. He was also the Farmworker Outreach and Liaison at Puente de la Costa Sur.

Councilmember Jimenez is a strong advocate for farmworkers, their families, and our coastal farmlands. He works in collaboration with institutions, organizations, and agencies to provide services and resources for the community. For example, he worked for the Cabrillo Unified School District in the Migrant Education Program as Community Schools Liaison, and fifth grade immersion teacher at Hatch School. He was also employed by San Mateo County Juvenile Probation Department as a Juvenile Correctional Officer. He received his Sociology Degree from California State University, Chico.

Gopi Mattel, CEO of Lifeboat Ventures

Gopi Mattel is a serial entrepreneur and is the managing partner and CEO of Lifeboat Ventures which operates ADA Works. ADA Works supplies pre-designed, pre-approved, and assembled onsite accessory dwelling units (ADU or 2nd units), helping communities, renters and homeowners add new affordable housing. Gopi is the Founder/CEO of CellarStone, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based company that provides solutions in the area of Sales Performance Management. Mattel launched a chapter of Founder Institute at Chennai, India. He serves as the Director of the chapter. And has been managing cohorts of startups through semesters for the last four years. Mattel has coached numerous startups through the detailed steps from ideation to funding. to this, Mattel had founded Motiva, Inc, a pioneering firm in the Sales Performance Management space, which was acquired by Siebel/Oracle. Mattel has decades of deep and granular experience in all the various aspects of starting and running a business. Mattel has more than 30 years of experience in Technology and Executive Management.

Serena Ip, Project Manager at MidPen Housing

Serena Ip is a project manager at MidPen Housing, a non-profit affordable housing developer, owner, manager, and service provider based in Foster City. She has worked on the new construction or rehabilitation of over 600 homes. Prior to joining MidPen, she worked at the Housing Leadership Council (HLC) of San Mateo County, and currently serves on HLC’s Board of Directors. Serena grew up in Pacifica and now lives in San Bruno with her family.