Candidate for
City Council Member; City of Alhambra; District 5

Luis Ayala is known for his lifetime commitment to public service as well as his ability to lead and get things done. Luis' goal is to improve the quality of life for all residents in the City of Alhambra by engaging more people in the local government's decision making process. Luis wants to work closely with residents to improve public safety, enhance sidewalk and street improvement programs, support economic development beneficial to the community and augment traffic safety and mobility programs.

Born on September 6, 1973 in Salinas, California, Luis is the oldest of four children raised by migrant farm workers. After receiving a football scholarship to play football, Luis graduated from Santa Clara University where he received his undergraduate degree in History. Afterward, Luis attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he earned his master's degree in Planning, Administration and Social Policy.

Luis's humble beginnings and family values of hard work and community service, led him to a career in public service which includes over half a decade of legislative and policy experience in Washington, D.C., Sacramento, and Los Angeles. Luis has worked for Congress Member Xavier Becerra, then Speaker of the California State Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa, Assembly Member Marco Firebaugh and former City of Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn. Throughout his career, Luis has demonstrated leadership by grappling with complex legislative issues affecting Californians--and arriving at solutions for them--including toxic contamination on school sites, equal representation in the electoral process, educational access issues, and homeownership. Luis' hard work and commitment were essential to getting several bills pertaining to the aforementioned issues through the legislative process and on to the governor's desk.

In 2004 as part of the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Economic Development--Minority Business Opportunity Committee (LA MBOC), Luis developed and managed the LA MBOC's Finance and International trade subcommittees. In that capacity, Luis met the program's goal of providing minority-owned businesses with $7 million worth of financial transactions via LA MBOC's partnerships with various financial institutions. Luis was also responsible for exposing over 100 small businesses to commercial opportunities abroad.

Currently, Luis serves as the South East Region Deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. In this capacity, Luis functions as the de facto city manager for the unincorporated Florence-Firestone and Walnut Park regions by ensuring that county departments deliver municipal services to over 70,000 constituents; overseeing capital development projects, including residential, commercial, and mixed-use ventures as well as parks and other recreational projects; and working in partnership with the Sheriff's Department to ensure the public safety of the Southeast Los Angeles community. Additionally, Luis represents the supervisor on all aspects of city-county relations including joint projects with the cities of Huntington Park, South Gate, Bell Gardens, Bell, Maywood, Cudahy, and Vernon. In essence, Luis' responsibilities mirror those of a council member to his or her constituents and neighboring stakeholders.

Luis resides in the City of Alhambra with his wife Adriana, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Business Team Director and daughter Citlali.