Filipina-Mexican-American mom wins West Covina, California council seat

Leticia “Letty” Lopez, seen here with her family, is the first Filipino-Mexican-American city council member of West Covina, California. FACEBOOK

Letty Lopez, a 36-year-old mother of two, ousted incumbent city council member Mike Spence in West Covina District 2, in the last midterm elections, becoming the first Filipino-Mexican- American councilwoman of West Covina, California.

Lopez, a senior director for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks for 13 years, is married to a Filipino. Her mother is from Manila and her late father was from Mexico.

She started living on her own since she was 17 and earned a master’s degree in communication studies at California State University, Los Angeles, having to work “two sometimes three jobs” at a time.

Lopez was among the advocates of “At the Park after Dark” program, now called “Summer Night Lights,” a gang prevention program. She worked with the American Camp Association to get one of its parks accredited to a higher standard. She has been a member of the West Covina Community and Senior Services Commission for the past six years and currently serves as Chair.

Her priorities are ensuring clean and safe parks, increasing police and firefighter protection of neighborhoods, building a business-friendly community, preventing government waste; and Increasing city government transparency resident involvement.