Monica Rodriguez is an American politician in California. She currently serves as a

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

member, and represents the 7th district. The district is located in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, and includes the neighborhoods of

Pacoima Pacoima (Tataviam language: ''Pakoinga'', meaning "entrance") is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley region of LA. Geography Location Pacoima is bordered by the Los Angele ...

Sunland-Tujunga Sunland-Tujunga is a Los Angeles city neighborhood within the Crescenta Valley and Verdugo Mountains. Sunland and Tujunga began as separate settlements and today are linked through a single police station, branch library, neighborhood counc ...

Sylmar Sylmar is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley and the northernmost neighborhood within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Historically known for its profusion of sylvan olive orchards, Sylmar can trace its past t ...

Shadow Hills Shadow Hills (originally Hansen Heights) is a neighborhood in the Verdugo Mountains and northeastern San Fernando Valley, within the city of Los Angeles, California. Geography Shadow Hills is in the northwestern Verdugo Mountains, near the weste ...

, Sun Valley,

Lake View Terrace Lake View Terrace is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California.

, and Mission Hills, Los Angeles, Mission Hills. Rodriguez was sworn in on July 1, 2017.

Career

Prior to her election to the Los Angeles City Council, Rodriguez served as Vice President the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, overseeing essential city services. She was appointed by

Los Angeles Mayor The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, both the elections and t ...

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...

to the Board in 2013. As Vice President, she partnered with the private sector to start a rain barrel program and spearheaded an upgrade to the city's contracting website so that it was easier to use, especially for small-, minority- and women-owned businesses that have a harder time navigating the city's contracting process. She also started a small-business academy to help less-advantaged businesses gain a leg up. Rodriguez previously served as a Community Affairs Manager for Mayor

Richard Riordan Richard Joseph Riordan (May 1, 1930 – April 19, 2023) was an American businessman, investor, military commander, philanthropist, and politician. A decorated Korean War veteran and a member of the Republican Party, Riordan served as the 39th ...

and as an aide to Los Angeles City Councilmembers

Mike Hernandez Mike Hernandez (born December 4, 1952) is an American politician and activist, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district from 1991 to 2001, despite an arrest for cocaine possession in 1997 that led to a guilty p ...

and

Richard Alarcon Richard Anthony Alarcon (born November 24, 1953) is an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1993 to 1998 and again from 2007 to 2013. A Democrat, he previously served in the California State Senate and ...

. She also served as a Chief Deputy to Los Angeles Unified School Boardmember Caprice Young and as an executive in the California Realtors Association.

Los Angeles City Council (2017—)

Elections

2007

Rodriguez first ran for City Council in 2007, to replace former Councilmember

Alex Padilla Alejandro Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from California, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democrati ...

, who had recently been elected to the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

. Though he had been elected to the

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

less than four months prior, former Councilmember

successfully reclaimed his old City Council seat, defeating Rodriguez and avoiding a runoff. In 2010, Alarcon was indicted on perjury and voter fraud charges for not living in his district and lying in campaign disclosure documents about his official residence. He was eventually convicted of three counts of voter fraud and one count of perjury.

2017

On May 16, 2017, Rodriguez was elected to represent the 7th District in the

, in a special election to fill the vacancy created when Councilmember

Felipe Fuentes Felipe J. Fuentes III (born May 25, 1971) is an American lobbyist, former politician, and businessman who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the Los Angeles's 7th City Council district, 7th district from 2013 until his resigna ...

resigned to become a registered lobbyist. During the campaign Rodriguez received the endorsements of Mayor Eric Garcetti, the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. She defeated Karo Torrossian, an aide to City Councilmember

Paul Krekorian Paul Krekorian (born March 24, 1960) is an American politician who has represented the second district on the Los Angeles City Council from 2010 until 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the president of the Los Angeles City ...

by over 1,300 votes. After being sworn in in July 2017, Rodriguez joined Councilmember Nury Martinez as the only women on the Los Angeles City Council.

2022

On June 7, 2022, Rodriguez was re-elected to the 7th District with nearly 68% of the vote during the statewide direct primary election, defeating former Pacoima Neighborhood Council President Elisa Avalos.

Personal life

Rodriguez lives in the Mission Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles with her husband Raul, a car salesman, and their two children. She received her undergraduate degree from

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...

References

External links

Campaign Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Monica 21st-century California politicians 21st-century American women politicians California Democrats Hispanic and Latino American city council members Living people Los Angeles City Council members American politicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American people in California politics Occidental College alumni People from Mission Hills, Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people) Women city councillors in California