“My career began over a decade ago working with homeless youth and their families. It opened my eyes to the realities of poverty that many people in our community face every day and inspired me to make public service the focus of my career.
As your State Representative, I have worked tirelessly to ensure our community has the tools and resources needed to overcome barriers and increase our quality of life through economic expansion, workforce development, and affordable housing.
Please join me by volunteering, following my social media, or donating.”
– Julio
Ese tipo de trabajo me abrió los ojos a las realidades de la pobreza que muchas personas en nuestra comunidad enfrentan todos los días y me inspiró a seguir trabajando en el sector público y seguir ayudando a mi comunidad. Durante los últimos cuatro años he trabajado en la Ciudad de Everett como gerente de comunicaciones y marketing, la transparencia y la comunicación abierta con nuestra comunidad junto con el apoyo a la vitalidad económica han sido una prioridad para mí.
Mi familia emigró de México cuando yo tenía solo 5 años. Llegamos a Wapato, Washington. Wapato es un pueblo pequeño, una comunidad unida principalmente de trabajadores agrícolas inmigrantes, donde realmente aprendí el significado de comunidad. Mis padres son parte de la comunidad de trabajadores inmigrantes y nos enseñaron a mi hermana y a mí el significado de trabajar duro, la perseverancia y el orgullo.
Como su Representante, trabajaré duro para garantizar que nuestra comunidad tenga las herramientas y los recursos necesarios para salir adelante. Espero que se unan a mí campaña y se ofrezcan como voluntarios y me sigan en mis redes sociales. También pueden donar fondos, gracias.
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Julio Cortes will be a strong voice for working people, building on his commitment to a strong, diverse economy that works for everyone. Unions and workers will have a strong advocate in Julio, who understands the need for collective action, workforce development and opportunities for youth. Julio deserves our vote.
I’m excited Julio Cortes is running for the legislature. His commitment to jobs and opportunity and advocacy for youth and families is needed as we continue recovering from the pandemic and lay the foundation for future opportunity and action. He will be a great partner and leader in Olympia and deserves our support.
Julio Cortes is the leader we need to help build an equitable and strong future for the people of Everett and the region. Julio has been a critical part of our team– helping serve small BIPOC businesses, neighborhoods and families in challenging times, while never losing sight of the opportunities ahead of us.
About Me
My family immigrated to Washington from Mexico when I was just 5 years old; setting roots in Wapato, Washington. Wapato is a small agricultural town, a close-knit community of primarily immigrant farmworkers, where I really learned the meaning of community and service. My parents were part of the immigrant farm working community and taught my sister and I the meaning of hard work, perseverance and pride.
After high school I attended Walla Walla Community College and then transferred to Western Washington University, where I graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Journalism in 2009.
Following graduation, I worked at the Oasis Teen Shelter as a Homeless Prevention Specialist (2009-2010), then as the Advocate and Outreach Manager at the Cocoon House (2010-2012). Later I moved to the role of the Public Relations Manager at the Cocoon House (2012-2018). For the past 4 years, I have served as the Communications and Marketing Manager for the City of Everett.
My early work with homeless youth and their families had an impact on me and inspired me to continue my career in the public service relm. In my current position I work relentlessly to ensure transparency and I find ways to give the community an opportunity to share their voice and opinions about City projects. Since the pandemic, I’ve also been part of the economic recovery team at the city and have led and supported a variety of projects to support our businesses. I work to enhance the city profile through our Visit Everett tourism initiative and provide placemaking opportunities for our community. Through this work I’ve learned about the many challenges faced by small, medium and large businesses.
My experience has led me to the call to serve in a greater capacity and to advocate for a community who has given so much to me. I am a forward thinking, innovative, inclusive and environmentally conscious leader who places great emphasis on collaboration and equity. As your representative, I will continue to place transparency at the forefront of all I do by actively listening to constituents and placing their needs above all else.
My Why
My professional career and community involvement has always been community focused. Since working with Cocoon House, a nonprofit that serves at risk and homeless youth and their families, I’ve had a passion for helping people find ways to better themselves. After two years of direct service at Cocoon House, my focus shifted to telling the story of the youth and families we served to our community and seeking support for the important work the organization did. I also had the opportunity to do legislative work for Cocoon House, advocating for or against initiatives that had an impact on the population we worked with.
Since that important work, I’ve been able to expand my knowledge of the complex challenges our community faces as part of the Communications and Economic Development teams at the City of Everett. In 2018 I began work as the Senior Communications Officer, telling the story of Everett and the surrounding region. I’ve had the honor of serving on multiple boards and groups that have further expanded my knowledge of not only the challenges we as a community face but also some innovative solutions that may be out there for us to explore together.
Being involved in community and regional groups has educated me about issues that bring challenges to our community members. Our BIPOC community, our business owners, our residents who are traveling to work in other parts of our region and I’d like the opportunity to support the work that is being done and see if I can bring new ideas or strategies to the table to help meet challenges faced by our community.
Today I joined members of the Machinists Union and heard directly from them and their families. I hope there is a fair and balanced contract soon so we can get these amazing employees, community members, friends and family back to work! #UnionStrong ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you from this union family
Julio Cortes for State Rep. Thanks for supporting us. As a IAM 751 Machinist member I can tell you that we need a fair contract.
Thank you to the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers for their endorsement of my campaign! I appreciate your partnership. ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
I used to work at a pulp and paper mill back in the day… Congrats on the endorsement
It was so much fun to join Ms. Palacios and her 3rd grade dual language class! They had great questions about the Legislative process and about how volcanos are formed…it was a bit of everything! We spoke about Hispanic Heritage month and I shared my story with them. They are our future leaders! ... See MoreSee Less
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Correction… they ARE our leaders.
Thank you Stand for Children for your support and endorsement of my reelection campaign! I look forward to continuing our together. ... See MoreSee Less
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It was a pleasure to attend and speak at the 2024 Eastside Leadership Conference along with colleagues! ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you!Our LCA VOTES C-4 nonprofit organization recently endorsed Lilian Ortiz-Self for state representative for the 21st district, Julio Cortes for the 38th District, and Chris Reykdal for the Superintendent of Public Schools. More info visit: www.lcavotes.org
Register to vote here: bit.ly/4gxNDa4
Vote. Vote. Vote. You Count.
#YourVoteMatters
#latinos
Friends of Lillian Ortiz-Self
Julio Cortes for State Rep.
Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to The Urbanist for the endorsement! I’m ready to get back to work in Olympia! ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to The Arc of Snohomish County for opening space and allowing advocates to share their powerful stories with us. Although we have made strides to better serve our intellectual and developmental disabilities, there is still important work to be done! ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
glad you were able to come!