Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Alarcón

About

Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Alarcón has dedicated her professional life to protecting our fundamental rights. She works as a civil rights attorney, primarily focused on voting rights. 

Alarcón currently serves on the:

• Palmdale Recycled Water Authority, Vice-Chair (PRWA) 
• Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (AV-AQMD) 
• LA County Sanitation District Board 
• California Contract Cities Association (CCCA) 
• League of California Cities (LCC) 
• Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) 
• National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) 
• Palmdale’s US/Mexico Sister Cities Association 

Career

Alarcón previously served as the President of the LA Board of Public Works, responsible for a budget of $1.8 billion and more than 5,500 employees to manage the City’s Infrastructure, including all Bureaus of Street Services functions, Sanitation, Street Lighting, Engineering, and Contract Administration. 

Alarcón also has vast experience in public policy, including serving under two California Attorneys’ General, CA’s top law enforcement officer. She established and led the AG’s Anti-Gang Violence Initiative and developed offender rehabilitation and re-entry legislation. 

Alarcón also served at the US Department of Justice with a focus on hate crimes policy and fostering positive race and community relations between local communities and law enforcement. In this capacity, Alarcon wrote the US DOJ Publication entitled: “Responding to Hate Crimes and Bias Motivated Incidents on College and University Campuses.” 

Alarcón has also served under a variety of political leaders, including: 

• Vice President Al Gore
• CA Governor Gray Davis
• CA Secretary of Labor Steve Smith
• CA Assemblymember Richard Katz
• LA Councilmember Hal Bernson

Alarcón is an avid activist for women, children, and families. She previously served as the Executive Director of the largest transitional home in the country for women and children survivors of domestic violence. She has also served on the following:

• CA Attorney General’s Task Force on Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Violence
• LA County Domestic Violence Council
• Inter-Agency Council on Abuse & Neglect (ICAN)
• LA City Domestic Violence Council
• Comision Femenil del San Fernando Valley

Alarcón has received various honors and awards, including the “Extraordinary American Woman” award from the LAUSD Board of Education, the “Women Building LA” award from the Weingart Foundation, and other awards from the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, LA Sustainability Collaborative, California Assembly, California Senate, the US Congress, and the US Department of Justice. Alarcón has also been a guest speaker for Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (H.O.P.E.) and the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI). 

Education

Alarcón’s professional training includes:

• National Institute Against Hate Crimes & Terrorism, Tools for Tolerance Institute Graduate
• Family Violence Project, Domestic Violence Victim Court Accompaniment Certification
• Jewish Family Service, Domestic Violence Advocate Certification
• The Grantsmanship Center, Grant Writing Certification

Alarcón holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, where she graduated Second Honors and Dean’s List as a double major in American Government and Literature with a minor in Theology. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University and earned a Juris Doctorate Degree from Loyola Law School. Alarcón also studied International Human Rights Law and International Environmental Law at the Universidad para la Paz in Costa Rica. Alarcón can practice law in the State of California and the US District Court. 

Personal

Her greatest joy is her daughter, Cheyenne, who is graduating from UCLA with a double major in Labor and Workplace Studies and Public Affairs.