HISTORY
Barbara Mouton
1st Mayor
The East Palo Alto Council of Tenants (EPACT) was founded in 1982 as a tenants advocacy group by Ruben Abrica and others who favored the stabilization of rents as the basis for the incorporation of the City of East Palo Alto. Many tenants and as well as homeowners provided financial support and were members. By 1988, the Rent Stabilization Program and Rent Board had been established by Ordinance. Some EPACT members were elected to the city council (Barbara Mouton, Ruben Abrica) and others were appointed to the Rent Board. In 1989, EPACT successfully registered as a charity with the state becoming a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 1991, the name was changed to EPACT Education Fund. Ruben passed
the torch to William Webster in 1993.
Ruben Abrica
1st Vice-Mayor
BOARD
William Bryon Webster, President
He is the most senior member of the Rent Stabilization Board serving continuously since 1992. He currently serves on the board of EPACANDO where he supported the construction of Nugent Square for families and Serenity Housing for seniors. He has previously served on the boards of Community Legal Services and many others. He has a BA (Music), MA and PhD (German Studies) from Stanford University. He has taught at Case Western University and the University of Wyoming and worked at Northern Telecom and Stanford University.
Elizabeth Lee Jackson, Treasurer
She is the Founder of Community Legal Services, former Rotary President, and former member of the Rent Stabilization Board, and an independent business woman in the food and beverage industry. She has an AA (Industrial Technology and Manufacturing) from De Anza College and a BA (Business candidate ) from the University of Phoenix and several certificates. She has worked for Amdahl Corporation, IBM, and IKEA.
Robert Allen Fisk, Secretary
He is a senior member of the Planning Commission and former member of the Rent Stabilization Board. He has volunteered at the Filoli Nature Preserve leading hikes for young students and their teachers from local schools. He has a BS (Biology) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and MA (Biology candidate) from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked in the fields of Biotech and Information Technology at UCB, UCSF, Stanford University/Veterans Hospital, Syntex Research (Pharmaceutical), Tandy Corporation, and SUN Microsystems.