Welcome to the first SGV Connect Podcast of 2021. In this week’s episode, Kris speaks with Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez before Kris and Damien give a preview of what to look forward to in 2021.
On November 3rd, 2020, Sasha Renée Pérez was elected to Alhambra’s City Council. Because she beat the incumbent Mayor, she took over her predecessor’s term as mayor, making her, at 28 years old, the youngest female mayor in San Gabriel Valley history. She’s also the youngest woman to serve on the council in the city’s history.
Pérez ran on a progressive platform, touting complete streets – including traffic safety measures such as bike lanes and speed bumps – pushing for renter protections and policies that prevent displacement, and establishing a climate action plan. In our conversation, we delved into the weeds of her policy platform and got her take on the movement to defund the police and on community engagement as central to creating a more equitable city.