George Shirakawa Jr.
VTA Alternate Board Member

Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa Jr. serves as an alternate member on the VTA Board of Directors representing Group 5 (County of Santa Clara), having been appointed in 2009.  He also serves on the Downtown East Valley Policy Advisory Board and is an alternate member of the Administration and Finance Committee.  He previously served as a Board alternate member for four years and as a Policy Advisory Committee member for five years when he was a member of the San José City Council.

Alternate member Shirakawa serves on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.  Elected in 2008, he represents Supervisorial District 2, which includes central and southerly portions of San José.

Prior public and civic service includes serving on the San José City Council representing District 7.  He was first appointed by the San José City Council to complete the term of his father, George Shirakawa Sr., who died suddenly while campaigning for re-election to the council.  Following completion of his father's term, he was re-elected twice to the council, serving eight and a half years, including a stint as vice mayor.  He was elected to both the East Side Union High School District Board of Education, where he served as a trustee and as Clerk/Past President, and to the Franklin-McKinley School District, where he served as a board member.  He also served as a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum and as Vice-Chair of the San José Redevelopment Agency.  Additional community service includes with the Pollution Prevention Committee of Santa Clara County, the Housing and Community Development Committee, Veterans Memorial Committee, San Jose Police & Fire Retirement Board, Police Activities League, Homeless Task Force, City Year of San Jose, and San Jose Conservation Corps.

Alternate member Shirakawa, a California native, is a long-term resident of Santa Clara County, having lived in San José for over 45 years.  He also served in the United States Army as a Sergeant in the Military Police Corps.  Prior to his current public service, he worked as a youth counselor and football and baseball coach at Yerba Buena and Foothill High Schools.