Obituary
Ruben Dominguez passed away peacefully on September 1, 2009 at the age of 70. Born in Indio, California, Ruben grew up in National City and graduated from Sweetwater High School. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from San Diego State University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from Occidental College in conjunction with Yale University as a National Urban Fellow.
Ruben’s career in the public and private sectors was distinguished by his driving vision of establishing equal opportunities and an even playing field for people of every race, color and gender. Early in his career he worked with the Economic Opportunity Commission and Head Start organizations in the San Diego area.
Ruben served as assistant City Manager for the City of San Diego and held a distinguished career in City and County Government in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, where he supervised the city’s Affirmative Action program and was responsible for the Model Cities Program, the Community Relations Board, Human Resources, Airports and Library.
After retiring from City and County government in the 1980’s, he was a private entrepreneur and business owner until he rejoined public service with Neighborhood House in the 1990’s. Additionally, Ruben worked with the MAAC Project, Episcopal Community Services, and served as an adjunct professor for Evergreen College. Most recently, Ruben served on the Board of Directors for the San Ysidro Health Clinic for more than a decade.
A loving husband, father, and grandfather, Ruben is survived by his wife Janet, his daughter Lisa, and his granddaughters Penelope and Alice. A Memorial Service will be held at 9:00 AM Saturday, September 19 at the El Camino-Sorrento Valley Chapel at 5600 Carroll Canyon Road in San Diego, CA.