Sasha Renée Pérez
Sasha Renée Pérez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member-elect of the California Senate from the 25th district | |
| Assuming office December 2, 2024 | |
| Succeeding | Anthony Portantino |
| Mayor of Alhambra | |
| Assumed office June 24, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ross Maza |
| Member of the Alhambra City Council from District 4 | |
| Assumed office December 31, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | David Mejia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 16, 1992 Alhambra, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | California State University, Los Angeles (BA) |
Sasha Renée Pérez (born September 16, 1992) is an American politician who is a member-elect of the California State Senate for the 25th district.[1] A Democrat, she previously served as Mayor of Alhambra.
Early life and education
[edit]Pérez was born in Alhambra and was raised there and in Glendora. Her father is a union electrician and her mother is a social worker.
Pérez graduated from Mark Keppel High School and is a first-generation college graduate, holding a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Los Angeles.
Career
[edit]Pérez began her career running an after-school program at Roosevelt High School for the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs. In 2018, she left to work at the Campaign for College Opportunity a non-profit focused on improving college access, success and affordability for California students. [2] Pérez led efforts to expand financial aid to 150,000 more students through the passage of the Cal Grant Equity Framework [3] and created reports on the needs of diverse student populations in colleges and universities.[4]
Alhambra City Council
[edit]In 2020, Pérez challenged incumbent Alhambra Mayor David Mejia unseating him after winning 58.49% of the vote. Upon being elected to the Alhambra City Council in 2020, Pérez was selected to serve as Mayor. This made her the first openly LGBTQ+ person and renter on the council and the youngest woman to serve as Mayor in San Gabriel Valley history.[5][6]
Pérez was honored as Outstanding SGV Elected Official in 2021 for her work to reduce plastic waste, create dedicated bike lanes and provide hazard pay to grocery store and pharmacy store workers during the pandemic. [7]
California State Senate
[edit]In 2023, Pérez announced her candidacy for the California State Senate seat being vacated by Anthony Portantino, who was terming out and running for the U.S. House of Representatives. In her announcement, she expressed her commitment to "ensuring a future where everyone can achieve the California dream."[8] In the primary election, Pérez advanced alongside Republican Crescenta Valley Town Council member Elizabeth Ahlers to the general election, where Pérez ultimately defeated Ahlers to secure the seat.[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Electoral history
[edit]2024
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Elizabeth Wong Ahlers | 73,002 | 35.7 | |
| Democratic | Sasha Renée Pérez | 67,266 | 32.9 | |
| Democratic | Yvonne Yiu | 35,693 | 17.5 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Armenta | 19,486 | 9.5 | |
| Democratic | Teddy Choi | 8,881 | 4.3 | |
| Total votes | 204,328 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Sasha Renée Pérez | |||
| Republican | Elizabeth Wong Ahlers | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
2020
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Nonpartisan | Sasha Renée Pérez | 16,934 | 58.49 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Mejia (incumbent) | 9,541 | 32.95 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karsen Luthi | 2,479 | 8.56 | |
| Total votes | 28,954 | 100.0 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "California - General Election - Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - State Senate District 25 - Districtwide Results".
- ^ https://collegecampaign.org/
- ^ https://www.csac.ca.gov/cal-grant-equity-framework
- ^ https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A85504
- ^ Resendiz, Eric (December 31, 2020). "Alhambra native makes history, is youngest woman to be mayor of the city". ABC 7. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2020/12/16/sasha-renee-perez-makes-history-as-shes-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-alhambra/
- ^ https://www.activesgv.org/post/noche-2021-honoree-outstanding-elected-official-sasha-renee-perez
- ^ Orona, John (February 14, 2024). "With Portantino terming out, race for state Senate seat heats up with 3 candidates so far". Pasadena Star-News.
- ^ "Sasha Pérez Leads in State Senate District 25 Democratic Primary". Colorado Boulevard. March 4, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Election Results: Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez in lead for state Senate 25th District seat". Pasadena Star-News. November 6, 2024.
- ^ Bajko, Matthew (January 31, 2024). "Political Notebook: Record number of bi women seeks CA legislative seats". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 1992 births
- 21st-century American legislators
- 21st-century American women politicians
- American bisexual politicians
- California city council members
- California State University, Los Angeles alumni
- Democratic Party California state senators
- Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California
- Hispanic and Latino American women in politics
- Living people
- LGBTQ state legislators in California
- LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people
- People from Alhambra, California
- Women city councillors in California
- Women state legislators in California
- 21st-century California politicians