Fiona Ma and Malia Cohen endorse Michael Melillo

Michael Melillo, candidate for the San José Unified School District Board of Trustees in Area 4, today announced the endorsements of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and California State Controller Malia Cohen, the two statewide officials trusted with California's finances.

As State Controller, Malia Cohen serves as California's chief fiscal officer: every state dollar spent, audited, and accounted for. In her first term she has increased transparency in how the state spends its money and released fiscal reports earlier than ever before, so budget decisions are made with the best data. As State Treasurer, Fiona Ma safeguards and invests the state's money, following her service in the State Assembly and on the Board of Equalization.

"Think about what these two offices do: one audits California's money, and one safeguards and invests it," said Melillo. "The two people our state trusts with its finances looked at this school board race, and they chose our campaign, because making every dollar count for students is what we are about. I am honored and grateful for their support."

The endorsements reflect the campaign's focus on fiscal accountability in a district with enormous potential. Melillo chaired San José Unified's Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, watching how every bond dollar was spent, and co-chaired the 2024 Measure R campaign that secured $1.15 billion to repair and upgrade district schools. By day he is a Senior Data Scientist at Apple, where he has spent twenty years working with budgets and data.

Treasurer Ma and Controller Cohen join a growing list of endorsers that includes San José City Councilmember David Cohen; Richard Barrera, Trustee of the San Diego Unified School District; Santa Clara County Board of Education President Vicky Chon and Trustee Don Rocha;
Evergreen School District Trustee Jeremy Barousse; The School Board Project; and 314 Action.

Melillo has also earned the Moms Demand
Action Gun Sense Candidate designation.

Michael Melillo is the parent of two students at Pioneer High School and previously served on the San José Unified Board of Trustees, appointed in 2018 to the same Area 4 seat he now seeks. He has served the district's families for a decade as a PTA member, School Site Council secretary, Library and Early Education Commission Chair, and president of the Pioneer High School Education Foundation. Election Day is November 3, 2026.