A standing-room-only crowd overflowed the San Fernando City Council chambers for the official swearing-in of Councilmembers Victoria Garcia and Patty Lopez, who were elected Nov. 5 and will each serve four-year terms.
The five-member City Council also unanimously selected Vice Mayor Mary Mendoza to serve as mayor, and, following a lengthy and at times contentious discussion between councilmembers, they chose Mary Solorio as the vice mayor. Both mayoral positions are for one-year terms.
Councilmember Joel Fajardo nominated Mendoza as mayor, seconded by Councilmember Garcia. Fajardo described her as “a bedrock of our community,” noting, “I know that she will treat everyone equitably and fairly, both on and off the dais.” Mendoza, who had previously served as mayor, said she felt proud and honored to accept the role as mayor of the City of San Fernando.
“I am honored to lead our city and will do so with respect, integrity and commitment to addressing the priorities that matter most to our residents,” she said. “This includes financial stability, safety, improved infrastructure, expanded business opportunities and ensuring access to safe drinking water.
“This is a proud moment, not only for me but also for my family,” she continued, adding that her late brother Arturo “Turi” Chacon, who owned Chacon’s Barber Shop and passed away in 2023, “would have been especially proud … [because] he admired my dedication to our city.”
Residents Address Newest Councilmembers
More than two dozen speakers took turns at the podium during public statements to express their support for both newly-elected councilmembers, most speakers praising Lopez, a former California state assemblymember and a first-time member of the City Council.
Numerous supporters lauded her victory by sharing prayers and citing God or biblical passages.
There has been wide support for both Garcia and Lopez from conservative religious groups praising the women’s commitment to “traditional family values.”
“This is such a powerful moment when you know the spirit of God is moving, especially in the City of San Fernando. You see the results when the Holy Spirit gets involved,” said Benito “Benny” Bernal, a resident and political conservative, who lost his bid for the 29th Congressional House seat to Democratic opponent Luz Rivas in the Nov. 5 general election.
“Every single representative on the City Council, we have a personal connection with,” he continued. “I want to take this time right now to say congratulations to Victoria Garcia and Patty Lopez for their victory … not won by human beings, but it was literally the spirit of God.”
David Hernandez, founder and chairman of the Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club, congratulated Garcia and Lopez on their wins and noted that as councilmembers, they have the opportunity to make vital decisions for the City of San Fernando.
“The decisions that you make here impact [residents] on a daily basis,” said Hernandez, adding that in the past “some of those decisions have been very costly,” specifically prior tax increases.
“This is a very critical time, especially here in the east San Fernando Valley, with the passage of Measure G,” he continued. “There are going to be four supervisor districts added to the county of Los Angeles and the City of San Fernando needs to play a prominent role in the drawing of the districts so that the East Valley has its own dedicated supervisor.”
The Battle for Vice Mayor
The contested selection process for vice mayor – with Councilmembers Fajardo, Solorio and Garcia in the running for the position – was drawn out, with the initial two rounds of voting resulting in two votes for Fajardo (by Fajardo and Mendoza), two votes for Garcia (by Garcia and Lopez), and Solorio, who nominated herself, as the sole councilmember voting for herself.
At an impasse, councilmembers debated how to move forward, consulting with City Manager Nick Kimball and other staff about official protocol for breaking a stalemate. With no formal city policy dictating the next steps, councilmembers continued debating and challenging each other.
Garcia questioned Fajardo’s commitment to attending community events aside from the Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and Christmas celebrations – noting a concern she has heard from community members is that Fajardo is not always present for smaller events around the city.
“The concern is are we going to have leadership that’s going to be able to take on this [vice mayor] role and be attending the little events that make it special,” said Garcia.
Solorio also addressed Fajardo, reminding him of an earlier promise to support her as vice mayor.
“In the last … reorganizing you offered to support me in this round, and so here, I am calling on you to support me … and I hope that you can be someone who can lead by your word,” she said. Fajardo replied by saying he would keep his word and vote for Solorio and suggested if Garcia or another councilmember changed their vote it would give her the three votes needed to win.
Lopez opted to switch her vote from Garcia, securing the vice mayor spot for Solorio.
Garcia and Lopez Thank Constituents
“I came to this country over 40 years ago as an immigrant, and I had the opportunity to be your elected official in Sacramento,” said Lopez after taking the oath of office as city councilmember. “When I was there, I did whatever I [could] to have really strong policies to support the … valuable families here in the San Fernando Valley.
“I know it’s not going to be easy,” she continued, “but I’m here to listen to every single business, to every single family, and not just be another regular politician. I’m here to serve you. … I’m here to support everybody, and I don’t have any agenda. My agenda is my community.”
Garcia thanked everyone for attending the meeting, which closed with live music performed by mariachi band Estrella del Sur, and Urbano y Los Genios, a music group from San Fernando.
“It’s so nice to see all of you and to see us celebrating our democratic process,” said Garcia. “I have some really big ideas. I think we have a big four years ahead of us.”
Garcia, who ran as an incumbent after winning a special election in March to fill the vacant council seat left after the passing of Cindy Montañez, secured her re-election bid with nearly 29% of the vote. Lopez won with more than 22%, beating the third-place candidate Sean Rivas by 109 votes. Sylvia Ballin and Jason Strickler finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Garcia concurrently pursued two offices in the Nov. 5 election: the San Fernando City Council and the State Assembly, running against then Mayor and Councilmember Celeste Rodriguez, who won the seat. Rodriguez was sworn in to represent California’s 43rd District on Dec. 2.
Semantha Raquel Norris contributed to this article.
