Two neighbors are asking for your vote.
The District 1 seat is open this November, and two candidates are running for it. Both have reviewed this project and agreed to answer neighbors' questions.
Ron Sahu
Ron Sahu is an Alhambra resident since 1988. After obtaining his PhD in engineering from Caltech he moved to Alhambra and has been there for 38 years. He has raised his family here and his kids went to Garfield Elementary and Alhambra High School. For over twenty-five years he has been active dealing with issues right here in Alhambra, from pausing poor developments on contaminated land, protecting our open spaces, and highlighting waste of the City’s scarce dollars including transportation monies. In that time he has served on the Parks and Recreation, Planning, and Environmental Sustainability Commissions. He understands that public safety is the foundation of everything. He supports our police officers and in turn, has their endorsement. He also supports responsible development that protects our precious neighborhoods and the investments our fellow citizens have made through hard work and sacrifices. He wants more business investment and the tax dollars that they will bring to the City. By his work and leadership at Grassroots Alhambra, he has encouraged and achieved more citizen involvement so that we can increase accountability and transparency at City Hall. Ron has worked and delivered on these issues. He is a proven leader on local issues.
Amy J. Wong
Amy J. Wong is a public health professional, community organizer, and lifelong San Gabriel Valley resident. After her husband served eight years in the Army, Amy and her husband chose to make Alhambra their home because of its diversity and strong sense of community.
Amy’s father came to the United States as a refugee after the Vietnam War, and her mother immigrated from Malaysia. She studied biology and public health at UC Berkeley, and currently works at the South Coast Air Quality Management District. For the past 12 years, Amy has worked at local nonprofits, partnering with residents, schools, and local governments to create safer, healthier neighborhoods. She helped secure millions of dollars in funding for parks and open spaces, safer streets, clean air, and community engagement programs.
Amy serves on Alhambra’s Historic Preservation Commission and previously served on Alhambra’s Sustainability Commission. She also co-founded a community library and bookstore.
Amy is running to build a safe, vibrant, and inclusive Alhambra for all. She is proud to be endorsed by the Alhambra Teachers Association. As a councilmember, her priorities are to make Alhambra more affordable, strengthen community safety, support a thriving local economy, and create healthy, resilient neighborhoods.
How they answer
The letters neighbors send through this site get grouped into the themes that come up most often, with one clear question written for each. If enough District 1 residents take part, both candidates join a live online forum in the second week of October where those questions are asked. Both get the list of themes a few days beforehand; neither sees the questions themselves. Equal time, alternating order, recorded and posted here with a transcript, so you can watch it whenever your evening allows.
If participation doesn't reach the bar, the same theme questions go to both campaigns in writing on the same day, with the same deadline and the same word limit. The answers are published here exactly as submitted, side by side, in alphabetical order. If a campaign chooses not to answer, that is published too, with the date the questions went out.
Where things stand
Letters are open now, and yours would help. As soon as the participation bar and the forum date are set, they'll be posted here and on the Key dates page.