Interstate 5 was constructed in middle of the neighborhood and forced several businesses to be demolished.

A group of business owners came together to forge change and Santos ended up leading them.

He served as the executive director of the International District Improvement Association in the mid-1970s to late 1980s.

He worked as regional director of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1994 to 2001.

In 1992, he married Sharon Tomiko Santos who was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1998.