A Proud, lifelong resident of the City of El Monte
Mayor Jessica Ancona is a proud, lifelong resident of the City of El
Monte and a daughter of hardworking immigrants from Mexico. She
was born and raised in this great city of El Monte, and has dedicated her
adult life to public service as an educator and elected official.
Jessica attended public schools in El Monte, and graduated from the
University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to obtaining her
bachelor’s degree from UCLA, she has earned a Teaching Credential and
Master’s in Education from Azusa Pacific University and an
Administrative Services Credential from California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona.
Mayor Ancona is currently a high school assistant principal at Lynwood Unified School District. Prior to
becoming a school administrator she was a high school teacher for 10 years. For over two decades, Jessica
has been an advocate for our children, their education and their quality of life.
In 2013, Mayor Ancona was first elected to the El Monte City School District Governing Board, where she
served as the President in 2016 and 2017 and Vice President in 2018. Jessica also served as a Delegate
Assembly Member for the California School Board Association (CSBA) in 2017 and 2018 with 300 other
members from throughout the State of California. She was elected to serve on CSBA by local school boards
within Region 23.
As an elected El Monte City School District Governing Board Member for five years, Mayor Ancona
supported building state of the art facilities; re-implemented music programs for all students; opened the
Jeff Seymour Family Center housing over 30 community service providers for our families; increased
wages and improved healthcare benefits for the district’s workforce and maintained a fiscally sound
budget. While Jessica was President of the school board, she advocated to establish a Project Labor
Agreement with the Building Trades for the final project of a series of school and facility improvements
scheduled to begin late Winter of 2018.
In 2018, Mayor Ancona was elected to the El Monte City Council as the only independent candidate in the
race. Her independence has proven valuable to the community as she has been able to focus on the needs
of the residents of El Monte. During the first 2 years on the council, she took on the tobacco and vape
industry protecting the youth of this community. Jessica also advocated for a joint use agreement with
the school district, opening up more greenspace for recreational and passive uses for her community.
Additionally, she has worked with the Southwest Carpenters Union to help complete Fletcher Fetch Park
by building aesthetic enhancements to the project. She supports smart conscious development and
welcomes progress that considers community first.
In 2020, Jessica took on an 11 year incumbent Mayor to bring about new bold ideas to the City. Shegarnered over 11,000 votes, the highest for any Mayoral candidate in El Monte’s history. She entered into
the role as Mayor at the height of the pandemic and worked tirelessly to secure more COVID testing and
vaccination resources for the seniors, families and children in the community. With an increase in hate
crimes, Mayor Ancona championed to establish a Human Relations Ad Hoc, championed a Walk Against
API Hate with her colleagues and brought forth the first Proclamation in El Monte’s history that
proclaimed June as Pride Month and subsequently held a Pride night at El Monte’s weekly Farmers’
Market.