Attendance Counselor Now Vice Mayor
- Apr 16, 2015
- 2 min read
The three newly elected Huntington Park council members Marilyn Sanabria, Johnny Pineda, and Marquez High School attendance counselor Graciela Ortiz were sworn into their positions during the March 16, 2015 H.P. City Council meeting. Furthermore, the new H.P. council unanimously appointed Ms. Ortiz as Vice Mayor.
The audience packed the council room. People crowded up against the walls, blocked the doorway, and spilled into the outside hall. Many of them (including the three Marquez principals) came to bid farewell to the outgoing council members and congratulate the new ones.
The March 16 city council meeting began with outgoing council members Mayor Rosa E. Perez and Mario Gomez accepting various certificates for their service from local organizations and neighboring cities; shortly after, they performed their final duties of hearing public comments. Ofelia Hernandez, another outgoing councilwoman, was absent.
Gomez bade farewell with a final speech and a YouTube video of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Mayor Perez too gave a speech but was greeted with boos from the audience as she mentioned how opponents defamed (based on her decision supporting new waste management) and caused her to lose the recent city council election. She welcomed the new council members and skeptically wished them good luck as she quoted their long list of campaign promises.
“We cannot work as little cities. [...] [We need to] make it happen as a region.”
-Rosa E Perez
During the 10 minute break that followed, the three new council members were sworn in. Then, the council meeting began with the incumbent council members, Karina Macias and Valentin Amezquita, and the new trio. Councilwoman Marilyn Sanabria moved that Macias be appointed mayor, and the new city council voted unanimously in favor. The crowd roared with applause. After, Sanabria moved that Ms. Ortiz be vice mayor, and the council again voted unanimously in favor. Again, the crowd cheerfully roared.
Johnny Pineda then explained that the council’s plans for the city included providing job training opportunities for the youth, balancing the city budget, slowing down the increase of taxes, and bringing development to the city.
Ms. Ortiz said, “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues, our fellow
councilmembers, in moving our city forward... the city that we love so much, and we’re going to move it forward with dedication, hard work, and professionalism. I look forward to working with our residents.”
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