Felicia Mello, Patch Staff

Former Patch Staff

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Felicia Mello has reported on small communities from Minnesota to Massachusetts, and traveled throughout Latin America covering international issues like immigration and climate change. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Nation, and The Los Angeles Times Magazine, among other publications, and has won several awards including the George Polk Award for Radio Reporting and a Project Censored award. She holds a master's degree in journalism from U.C. Berkeley and a bachelor's degree in politics from Oberlin College. Felicia speaks fluent Spanish, and bits and pieces of Italian, French and Portuguese. She loves people, dancing and figuring things out.

Your Beliefs: I believe that every human being on the planet should have their basic needs met, and be able to express themselves and reach their full potential.

Politics: Unfortunately, no major party in the United States seems to agree with me on this one. I'm rooting for that to change soon.

Religion: I was raised Catholic, still attend mass on holidays, and still pray in emergencies. Though I don't currently subscribe to an organized religion, I believe that a larger spirit connects us all—you, me, your cat, that pretty magnolia tree, the guy holding up the sale sign on Laguna Blvd.

Local Hot-Button Issues: Elk Grove is at a really exciting time in its development, where it gets to decide what kind of city it wants to be. The city has an economic downturn to cope with, and the pressures of rapid growth. And it's got a diverse and talented population to tackle these challenges. With so many families with small children, education continues to be an important issue here.

I'd like to see economic growth that benefits everyone, including Elk Grove's most vulnerable, while preserving the city's historic and rural charm. I hope that Elk Grove Patch can facilitate more communication among Elk Grove's different communities—new residents and old, young people and seniors, and Elk Grovians of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds.