Vancouver’s first Latina councilwoman has El Paso roots
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- As National Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, ABC-7 sits down with Vancouver, Washington's first Latina councilwoman, who has ties to the Borderland.
Diana Perez has called El Paso home for most of her life, an Eastwood high school graduate, member of the UTEP Symphony, and former UTEP student says it was at the university's campus where she was first introduced to government leadership through an out of state internship.
Moving to Vancover, Perez did not always want to go into politics but found her way there.
With the help of the advocacy group, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), she was able to pursue a career serving her community in a way she never expected.
"I saw my Hispanic community or other communities of color at a disadvantage because of a broken system or an unfair system, or in an inequitable policy, the only way that I could really make change was if I got into the system," said Perez.
She is currently working on a Comprehensive Management Plan for Vancouver residents that seeks to focus on housing affordability, infrastructure, and climate change.
She says she attributes her values to the culture she was brought up in.
“From the culture stance, from the language, from the food, to the people.. that goes with you everywhere," she says.
