ABOUT
Elizabeth Alcantar is an advocate and organizer by heart and trade for her community in Southeast Los Angeles. She currently serves Cudahy as Vice Mayor.
Raised in Cudahy, Elizabeth Alcantar attended Teresa Hughes Elementary School and Elizabeth Learning Center before pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. Throughout her time in college, Elizabeth worked with students and alumni of ELC to host educational workshops on applying to college, obtaining financial aid, and even fundraised for scholarships for Cudahy students. She continued her advocacy alongside carwash workers with the CLEAN Carwash Campaign and later went on to serve as a Field Deputy for former Secretary of Labor, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.
She then went on to work for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) where she worked to educate and organize community on the issue of immigration. Elizabeth is now at Local Progress, an organization supporting a movement of progressive local elected officials advancing a racial, economic, and gender justice agenda.
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After seeing a gap in representation for young women in Cudahy, Elizabeth filed to run for city council.
In November of 2018, Elizabeth was elected to the Cudahy City Council and consequently named Vice Mayor. The following year she served as Mayor (the first Latina to do so) in an unprecedented year where Elizabeth led her city through the Delta fuel-dump and the global coronavirus pandemic. She’s honored to serve the community that raised her and is focused on housing, increasing civic engagement, access to quality green space and environmental justice, and supporting Cudahy’s women and girls.
Elizabeth has been at the forefront of advocating for Cudahy and developing the building blocks for new businesses, affordable housing, and bringing in new recreation and arts programs for children, adults, and seniors alike.