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.

If 2020 were a year like no other, then 2021 looks to be just as unprecedented both locally and across the country. Damien and Kris stalk about some local stories that may have fallen through the cracks, including an opportunity to weigh in on projects such as the North Ave. Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Plan in Pasadena.

But 2021 needs to be about more than just projects and proposals; it needs to be the year that cities and government agencies learn from the experiences of 2020. The lessons our cities take from the pandemic and the unrest will determine whether or not society grows as a result of this hardship or just tries to “return to normal” in a way that continues to marginalize and disenfranchise many.

SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”

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