SELA Cities’ Mayors speak about their priorities for their new term

As the new mayors of Southeast Los Angeles County cities, including Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Norwalk, Lynwood and South Gate prepare for their new term, CALÓ News takes a look at each of them.

Bell Gardens

Jorgel Chavez was voted mayor of Bell Gardens. He was elected to the council for the first time in 2020, and this is his second time acting as Mayor. Bell Gardens has about 40,000 residents, 98% of whom are Latino. 

The 27-year-old mayor said one of the most significant ongoing projects in the city is the Aquatic Center. This project has been over seven years in the making, and once it’s completed, it will be transformational for the Southeast LA region.

Chavez said the $32 million project is fully funded through federal and local sources. It will have three pools: a recreation pool with slides, a therapeutic pool and a Olympic-sized swimming pool. 

“And as we think about the Olympics coming in the next four years, it's a great opportunity for any teams out there internationally that want to practice. We can help them out, too,” he said.

If everything goes as planned, the Bell Gardens Aquatic Center is expected to open in October 2025. 

The Mayor emphasized that in Bell Gardens, close to 80% of the residents, including himself, are renters. He said it’s very difficult to purchase homes now, but they hope the council will explore different policies on how to turn renters into homeowners. For example, it plans to create a policy where homeowners aiming to sell their homes prioritize the residents who have been living in the same property for years. 

He gave his parents as an example, who have been renting the same house for over 20 years but don’t own it. 

“Imagine if we were putting that amount of funds into a mortgage. At this point, we'd almost be halfway done with our mortgage,” he said. 

He also highlighted an issue that worries not just Bell Gardens but the Southeast LA area (SELA) as well. With the reelection of Donald Trump as president, there is a lot of fear among the Bell Gardens undocumented community, who probably are not aware of their rights.

“We're here to support them, and we're gonna ensure we do everything possible so that vast deportation does not happen here,” he said. “We know what [the Trump Administration] is capable of. So it's up to us to really work in our power to protect a good portion of our residents.”

Miguel de la Rosa is the vice mayor, and Marco Barcena, Isabel Guillén, and Francis de Leon Sanchez are the council members. 

Cudahy

In Cudahy, Elizabeth Alcantar, 31, was voted mayor for the third time. Alcantar began serving on the council in 2018 and was the youngest member back then. Cudahy has nearly 30,000 residents.

Alcantar said that among her priorities as mayor is continuing to work on the Clean Power Alliance project. She said this project provides the opportunity to turn the city into 100% renewable energy. She said there is a study that they are reviewing to see if the city should join. 

“Many residents are interested in learning more about this because it will save them money,” said Alcantar.

Similar to Bell Gardens, 85% of Cudahy’s residents are renters, including Alcantar. She said she is committed to informing them about their rights and responsibilities. Many of them are unaware of the local measures and do not know how to calculate the extra 3% rent increase when it is due. 

She said there is confusion because people are unaware that the cap increase in Cudahy is 3% while in California it is 10%.

“Many times people end up paying beyond the limit,” she said. “Therefore, we want to give the renters the right to organize.”

Cudahy’s vice-mayor is Cynthia Gonzalez and council members are Daisy Lomeli, Martin U. Fuentes, and Amanda Gomez. 

Lynwood

In Lynwood, former Mayor Pro Tem Rita Soto was voted the new mayor on December 3. While the Census reports Lynwood to have a population of about 68,000, Soto said that it could be up to 92,000 but because people are afraid to fill out the Census, they may have stayed out of the official count. Latinos make up  90% of the Lynwood’s population. 

Soto said one of the biggest concerns in Lynwood is that many areas have been neglected for many years and it takes time to get the proper attention from the right departments. Also, because the city is not divided by districts, some issues go directly to the Public Works department and only then to the council members. 

She said an ad hoc committee is responsible for looking at certain issues, such as a street in desperate need of repair. Once they review the issue, it is sent to Public Works, and if both agree that there is a  dire need for repair, it is  sent it to the council to vote on the approval to be next in line to get fixed.

“And then as council, we decide if this is really an emergency for the street to get fixed then we vote on it,” she said. 

Soto said she decided to continue to to serve council mainly to fight for more community resources. She said it’s very difficult to get these resources at the local and state levels, but she also hopes that now, with the election of José Luis Solache, former Lynwood Mayor, as the area’s state assemblymember, the city will be better served.

“Little by little we are also getting big corporations that want to work with us,” she said. :it has been tough but we are doing it.”

The mayor pro tem is Gabriela Camacho. The council members are Luis Cuellar, Juan Muñoz-Guevara and Lorraine Moore. 

Other Cities

In Norwalk, the city council held its reorganization and, by a unanimous vote, selected Tony Ayala as the new mayor and Jennifer Perez as vice mayor. Ayala was first elected to the city council in 2017 and served as vice mayor in 2020 and 2023.

Mayor Ayala said that the Norwalk City Council will address the frequent challenges faced by many multigenerational Norwalk households, such as childcare assistance, employment support for working-age residents and nutrition services for seniors. 

“Norwalk has done a fantastic job building a strong economic foundation — now it’s time to ensure families are part of Norwalk’s growth,” Ayala said in a statement. 

Norwalk’s city council members are Rick Ramirez, Margarita L. Rios and Ana Valencia. 

In South Gate, the council selected Maria Davila as the new mayor and Joshua Barron as the vice mayor. The council members are Gil Hurtado, Maria del Pilar Avalos and Al Rios.