Pacific Coast Television Honors Half Moon Bay Political Activist

Every year, Pacific Coast Television (PCT) — a public access television station — honors individuals of the Coastside community who embody PCT's mission and purpose to advance media democracy through public education, coalition building, and grassroots organizing.

The honorees were celebrated at a party and auction held at the Mildred Owen Concert Hall in Pacifica Friday night. The six individuals recognized for their public service includes Pacifica's Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ann Nihart, editor and publisher of the Pacifica Tribune Elaine Larsen, Pacifica business owner and community volunteer Susan Vellone, owner of Florey's Book Company Aaron Schlieve, the morning drive and lunch hour deejay on KFOX Radio Radio 98.5 Annalisa a Pacifica resident, and Half Moon Bay's Roy Salume for his political activism and advocacy for public education.

In a recent Pacifica Tribune article spotlighting the honorees, Salume says that he prefers to avoid the spotlight unless he thinks something needs to be discussed and fixed and that his time as a student volunteer in the 1970s for the United Farm Workers in San Francisco influenced some of the public service he did later on the Coastside because he experienced firsthand how positive change is possible through political action.

Salume moved to Half Moon Bay from San Francisco in 1989 and volunteered as a school site council representative and on various other school district initiatives. In 1996 he was asked to be a co-chair of the successful Measure K bond campaign to repair and improve Coastside schools. He was later elected to the Cabrillo Unified School District board and served from 2002-2006.

Salume was appointed to serve on San Mateo's 2007-2008 Civil Grand Jury, whose mandate was to examine government processes and offer recommendations for improvement. For the last 10 years, he served as an elections judge and inspector for San Mateo County to ensure efficient and fair elections. In 2010 he co-sponsored Measure S, an initiative to shift local elections from off-year to on-year elections.

Six years ago he went back to school and earned two degrees in Information Systems at the University of San Francisco. He completed his masters in December 2011, with a concentration in information security.

Read more about Salume and the other honorees in a Pacifica Tribune article here.