City Representative’s Promise To Create Scholarships On Hold

During her campaign, now-City Rep. Emma Acosta promised to donate her public salary to a scholarship fund.

But two years later, the scholarship fund has yet to be created.

Before she was elected to City Council, Acosta retired from the city’s sanitation department as its director.

Some complained at the time that if elected she’d be “double dipping” by getting a city salary and collecting a city pension.

She assured ABC-7 and the public she would use her city salary for something else.

“I want to do some things with it … I want to establish a scholarship,” Acosta said during her campaign.

When she was a city employee, Acosta paid into the pension fund for about 30 years. She now receives a $90,000 annual pension.

Acosta said that between her two bids for City Council she has incurred more than $20,000 in debt and that is why she hasn’t been able to set up the scholarship fund.

She said her campaigns were so expensive, partly because she would pay her volunteers.

“With the economy the way it is, you know your campaign contributions aren’t what they’re supposed to be,” Acosta said. “So it’s a debt that I incurred that I know I’ll pay off, you know after, during my term, but it’s something that i wasn’t really anticipating on.”

Acosta also cites her grandson’s extensive medical bills as a reason she just can’t start the fund at this time.

At the time she was elected, city representatives earned $18,000 a year. That salary has since gone up to $29,000 a year since voters approved the pay raise.