On Saturday, December 2, 2017, BikeSGV will host its annual party - 'Noche de las Luminarias' - to celebrate the progress towards a more pedestrian-, bicycle-, and transit-friendly SGV. This profile is one of a series of posts highlighting some of the people at the forefront of this movement.
A second-term El Monte City Council member, Vicky Martinez was raised in El Monte by loving and hardworking parents. She attended local public schools and graduated from Arroyo High School before working her way through Pasadena City College and California State University, Los Angeles.
Vicky was first elected to the City Council in 2011 and has since worked diligently to ensure public safety services and social programs continue to be a priority for the city. Over the past seven years, these efforts have included championing the #HealthyElMonte movement, a long-term initiative to address the City’s high rate of childhood and adult obesity by reducing barriers to a physically active, healthy lifestyle. By fostering and leveraging cross-sector collaboration between the City, regional government entities, local non-profit organizations, and the community, the program has provided free fitness classes, the City’s first bicycle lanes, the SGV’s first multi-jurisdictional open streets event (in 2016), a senior fitness center, and a community garden to El Monte, among other achievements.
To help promote a healthier, more sustainable El Monte, Vicky has also endorsed a successful Community Building Initiative to help beautify local streets, buildings, signage, and lighting. Her passion for healthier, more livable communities has also been evident at the regional level, as she’s served on the Community Services and Transportation Committees with the League of Cities and represented the City with the Southern California Association of Governments, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, and the Alameda Corridor East, as Vice Chair.
Vicky is currently running for the California State Senate in District 22, representing the San Gabriel Valley.
