| Sasha Renée Pérez | |
| Birth Date: | 16 September 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Alhambra, California, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | California State University, Los Angeles (BA) |
| State Senate: | California |
| District: | 25th |
| Term Start: | December 2, 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Anthony Portantino |
| Office1: | Mayor of Alhambra |
| Term Start1: | June 24, 2024 |
| Term End1: | December 1, 2024 |
| Predecessor1: | Ross Maza |
| Successor1: | Katherine Lee |
| Office3: | Member of the Alhambra City Council from District 4 |
| Term Start3: | December 31, 2020 |
| Term End3: | December 1, 2024 |
| Predecessor3: | David Mejia |
| Successor3: | Noya Wang |
Sasha Renée Pérez (born September 16, 1992) is an American politician who is a member of the California State Senate for the 25th district.[1] A Democrat, she is the youngest State Senator in California.[2] Pérez previously served as Mayor of Alhambra.
Pérez was born in Alhambra and was raised there and in Glendora. Her father is a union electrician and her mother is a social worker.
Pérez graduated from Mark Keppel High School and is a first-generation college graduate, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from California State University, Los Angeles.
Pérez began her career running an after-school program at Roosevelt High School for the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs. In 2018, she left to work at the Campaign for College Opportunity a non-profit focused on improving college access, success and affordability for California students.[3] Pérez led efforts to expand financial aid to 150,000 more students through the passage of the Cal Grant Equity Framework [4] and created reports on the needs of diverse student populations in colleges and universities.[5]
In 2020, Pérez challenged incumbent Alhambra Mayor David Mejia unseating him after winning 58.49% of the vote. Upon being elected to the Alhambra City Council in 2020, Pérez was selected to serve as Mayor. This made her the first openly LGBTQ+ person and renter on the council and the youngest woman to serve as Mayor in San Gabriel Valley history.[6] [7]
Pérez was honored as Outstanding SGV Elected Official in 2021 for her work to reduce plastic waste, create dedicated bike lanes and provide hazard pay to grocery store and pharmacy store workers during the pandemic.[8]
In 2023, Pérez announced her candidacy for the California State Senate seat being vacated by Anthony Portantino, who was terming out and running for the U.S. House of Representatives. In her announcement, she expressed her commitment to "ensuring a future where everyone can achieve the California dream."[9] In the primary election, Pérez advanced alongside Republican Crescenta Valley Town Council member Elizabeth Ahlers to the general election, where Pérez ultimately defeated Ahlers to secure the seat.[10] [11]
Pérez is the youngest member of the California State Senate and the 2nd youngest woman to ever serve in the California State Senate.