Sports
Chalk Talk
Basketball page 6
Community Events, page 2 - 3
The Community Paper of Record
Vol. 55, No. 25
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
December 12, 2018
A Day to Celebrate the Newly Elected by Ethan Peschansky, Contributing Writer El Monte
It was an auspicious day and excitement was in the air as the newly elected city staff were sworn in on Saturday. With midterm elections finally concluded, El Monte now looks to welcome the new faces who will be shaping the policies in the city. The ceremony took place in El Monte High Schools spacious auditorium and was open to the public. Many citizens turned out for the event and for the chance to meet their new representatives. The new staff were sworn in by current members of the El Monte city council and other dignitaries from around the state including Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Many of the city’s new officials represent numerous firsts for the city. Jennifer Santana’s election to the Board of Directors of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District now makes her the first woman ever elected to that position. “I’m excited to bring my research and my science background to help find innovative ways to help El Monte make water sustainability and affordability a reality,” Santana said. Cindy Wu, elected to the Mountain
View Governing Board, is the first Asian-American woman elected to any municipal position in the history of El Monte. “Although we live in time of national division, our community has shown that race, gender, sexual orientation, and a myriad of other things that might superficially divide others will not divide us,” Wu said. El Monte also follows nationwide trends in electing women to local government. Many of the candidates who won their races, including first time candidates, were women. The El Monte City School District re-elected Beth Rivas and adds newcomers Lisette Mendez and Julia Ruedas to the Governing Board. Cathi Eredia, the former curator of the El Monte Historical Museum, and Viviana Longoria were sworn in as City Clerk and City Treasurer. El Monte also welcomes two new members to its city council, both of whom are women. Jessica Ancona and Maria Morales now join Councilwoman Victoria Martinez to form a majority women city council with Councilman Jerry Velasco and Mayor Andre Quintero as the only men. However, the biggest winner of the day was Mayor Andre Quintero, now extending his tenure as the longest
serving mayor in El Monte history. He was sworn in by his mentor and former boss, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Although the city staff will look different, it should be to Mayor Quintero’s favor. Headlining Team El Monte alongside Councilman
Jerry Velasco, the two senior council members helped to elect nearly every candidate of Team El Monte this cycle, many of them women. “I think it’s reflective of what’s happening at the national level,” Quintero said. “Our community is Newly Elected continued on page 15
El Monte Union Has A New President by Staff Writer El Monte
The El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustees conducted its annual reorganization meeting on December 5th, and selected David Diaz as president for 2019, Florencio F. Briones as vice president and Ricardo Padilla as clerk. Diaz, a graduate of South El Monte High School, was elected to the board in November 2017 and serves as a director at a local nonprofit public health organization, focusing on youth development, education and creating change in underrepresented communities. Over the course of the last few years, he’s worked on the development of an Advanced Energy Community plan, the San Gabriel Valley Regional Bicycle Master Plan, the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan, an Urban Greening Toolkit, and multiple healthy community related policies/initiatives aimed at creating healthier environments in the El Monte/South El Monte. David is also a consultant with a local nonprofit, Bike San Gabriel Valley, Investing in Place Board
Pictured are El Monte Union Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga, Board of Trustees member Maria Morgan, Vice President Florencio F. Briones, President David Diaz, Clerk Ricardo Padilla, student board member Heather Huynh and member Carlos G. Salcedo. Courtesy photo.
Member, South El Monte Planning Commissioner, and former South El Monte Community Services Com-
missioner. As an invested resident of the City of South El Monte, he has championed health, literacy, and
creating opportunities for the Greater New President continued on page 14