In an effort to allow voters to see a more personable side of candidates rather than the side that’s already advertised on their Web sites, I’ve decided to feature one race in each edition of Campaign Corral and ask the candidates in the particular race a nonpolitical question.

Featured race: Chula Vista City Council Seat 2

    In the race to snag the seat of deployed Councilmember John McCann is Humberto Peraza, Jill Galvez, Larry Breitfelder and Pat Aguilar.

    I asked the four candidates over email: What was one of the happiest moments of your life? Here are their answers:

    Peraza: My family has always been the most important thing in my life, and the love and support of my parents made me into the person I am today. The proudest and happiest moments of my life were the births of my two sons, Ben and Dylan. I work every day to give them the same support that my parents gave me, so that they will be able to achieve their dreams

    Galvez: I remember this moment very clearly and thank you for helping me to recall the memory. It was September 1996. I was sitting with my husband in the soft grass of our front lawn, under a shady tree, our infant son in my arms, watching our one-year-old daughter picking blades of grass. She had a full head of Shirley Temple curls by that time, and her curls would bounce up and down with each step that she took. I remember thinking how special that moment was and committing it to memory. It’s difficult to explain, but starting at that moment, I was conscious of the fact that we were good parents, we were a new family with beautiful and healthy children, we loved our neighborhood in Chula Vista and knew we were here to stay, and it was wonderful to relax and enjoy the experience.

    Breitfelder: I have to admit, there’s a big part of me that will always look back at the times when I was very young and in love as my happiest times. However, as we get older, our values change. We start to get more satisfaction and happiness out of doing meaningful things for others. Some people describe it as knowing in your heart that you’re living a life worth living. I’ve never had more of that deeper sort of happiness than the time I spent as a volunteer tutor for the Chula Vista Adult Literacy Center.

    Aguilar: The happiest moment of my life is when I discovered my relationship with God.