The Alhambra City Council swore in Sasha Renée Pérez as mayor for her second term on June 24. Katherine Lee was sworn in as vice mayor and outgoing mayor Ross Maza resumed his role as Councilmember, now heading the Department of Supplies.
Pérez made history in her first term as she set several milestones after being elected to the city council. At 28 years old, Pérez became the youngest woman mayor in San Gabriel Valley history and the youngest Latina mayor in California to lead a mid-size city. She also became the first openly LGBTQ-identifying person and the first renter to be sworn in on the council. She was elected in 2020 and immediately started her first term as mayor at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her first session as mayor this year, Pérez led the city council in ratifying June 2024 as Immigrant Heritage Month in Alhambra, in recognition of the culture created by immigrants in Alhambra. Later on in the session, the council also approved the motion to develop a permanent dog park in the city following the success of the “Paw-Pup Dog Park,” which was open for two months last fall next to the Alhambra Golf Course and received an outpouring of support from Alhambra residents.
“Our council is working to improve the lives of all Alhambra residents. I’m really happy with what we’ve done so far and I’m really excited for the years and months to come,” said Pérez.
During her first tenure, Pérez demonstrated her commitment to small businesses and public policy to improve the lives of Alhambra residents. Her first motion as mayor capped the fees that third-party food delivery apps, like Doordash and Grubhub, were allowed to charge restaurants, which was key for allowing local restaurants to stay open during the pandemic. She also implemented “Hero Pay” for Alhambra’s front-line essential workers such as firefighters, police officers, grocery store clerks, pharmacy workers, and city staff.
Pérez has a strong history of supporting critical infrastructure projects on the city council. She pioneered Alhambra’s first-ever bike and pedestrian plan and put forth a comprehensive sustainability plan in front of Congress to bring in $680,000 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the city’s long-term environmental needs.
“This is truly special because Sasha understands the significance of being mayor in such a remarkable city,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu, who administered the oath of office ceremony in June. “This is the kind of person we need in elected office — someone who’s shown leadership in so many ways in protecting families, uplifting communities, and fighting for equal rights.”
Aside from her contributions to the city council, Perez is an educator and civil rights advocate who is dedicated to advancing equitable access to higher education, as a first-generation college graduate herself, and to supporting California’s working families. She was raised by working class parents — a union electrician and a Los Angeles County social worker — and attended Mark Keppel High School. She was the first in her family to graduate college with degrees in Political Science and Economics from California State University, Los Angeles.
Pérez will not be running for re-election in the Alhambra City Council this November, as she was selected as the Democratic candidate for State Senate District 25 following the primary elections earlier this year.
In regards to her last term as mayor and tenure on the city council, she said, “It is bittersweet. I’ve loved serving this city, I’ve lived in the city of Alhambra my entire life. I went to Mark Keppel High School and it makes me so proud to be from here. To get to represent this city on the council has brought me so much joy and so much pride.”
