Mayor Alejandra Cortez of Bell Gardens announced her resignation on Monday, July 3rd, citing
work and personal obligations. In a statement on social media, Cortez stated, “It is with a heavy
heart that I announce my resignation from the Bell Gardens City Council; the time has come for
me to transition and focus on my family and my career.”

“It has been an extreme pleasure and honor to serve this city and this community. I am proud of
the work that has been done, and I am also humbled to have led during some of the most difficult
times,” she continued.

Cortez was first elected in November 2018 and was selected to become mayor immediately after
her December swearing-in. She led the city for two years during her first term as mayor, which
included the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020. She was a stabilizing force in her
role as mayor until December of that year.

Bell Gardens revenues, which depend significantly on funds provided by the Bicycle Club
Casino, were severely strained by the COVID-19 shutdowns. According to Cortez, the city lost
“about $10 million” when the casino was closed for nine months in 2020, as The Los Angeles
Daily News reported last year.

Despite the severe impact of the pandemic on city finances, Cortez and her colleagues were able to
balance the city budget and maintain full staffing and crucial city services, according to the
former mayor’s 2022 campaign website.

During her four and a half years on council, Cortez cites several accomplishments that
contributed to the city’s progress, including; approving additional funding for the Bell Gardens
Police Department to hire more officers and combat crime, passing a historic rent control and
tenant protection ordinance to protect low-income families and individuals, securing $13.5
million from external sources and allocating $14 million from the city budget to build a state of
the art aquatics center, refurbishing the gymnasium at Ford Park and improving lighting and
HVAC equipment in all city facilities with more efficient LED and HVAC systems paid by with
savings on energy use.

The Bell Gardens electorate acknowledged Cortez and her colleagues’ progress during her first
four-year term and re-elected her to serve again in November of 2022 when she came in as the
top vote-getter for the second time in as many bids. Cortez was then appointed mayor for the
second time by her colleagues last December.

Cortez was an active community member long before her tenure on the city council. She began
volunteering on political campaigns while still in high school. Cortez also aided in coordinating
and volunteering in DACA and Know Your Rights Immigration Workshops. She participated in
grassroots movements to pass policies in the southeast cities that brought about social change,
lobbied for the Dream Act in Sacramento and co-founded the Youth Leadership
Initiative, a non-profit organization aiming to motivate and promote civic engagement.

While on the city council, Cortez also served as the Chair of the California Cities for Self
Reliance Joint Powers Authority, whose mission is to empower communities and leadership
statewide to advocate for card rooms as vital resources to cities and local services such as police,
fire, schools, and transportation.

In addition to her role as an elected official, Cortez worked full-time as an employee for the
Montebello Unified School District. Initially, she was hired as a parent outreach coordinator and
then as an interpreter before becoming a District Parental and Community Liaison. Cortez also
started attending Southwestern Law School in August of 2019 and recently graduated with her
Juris Doctorate in May of this year and is currently studying for the bar exam.

Mayor Cortez’s resignation came as a shock to many. The same day, the city issued a formal
statement confirming Cortez’s resignation and announcing that the City Council would discuss
alternatives for filling the vacancy at a subsequent meeting. The tenure of Cortez is scheduled to
end in 2026.