Malia Vella, who currently serves as the vice-mayor of Alameda, California — has set her sights on becoming the first Filipina American elected to the state Legislature.
Vella, who works as a workers’ rights attorney and adjunct professor of practice at Mills College, has now cast her hat in the electoral ring where she is running in the special election for the 18th Assembly District seat — which became vacant after Rob Bonta assumed office as the state’s attorney general in April.
RELATED STORY: Biden nominates Fil-Am veteran for Air Force undersecretary post
Interestingly, Bonta’s wife Mia – who is the president of the Alameda Unified School Board — is also among the eight candidates in the race to the State Legislature. The primary for the district seat, which also covers Oakland and San Leandro, is set for June 29 and special election on August 31.
While her grandparents hail from the Philippines and Japan, Vella was born in Alameda and grew up in San Leandro before moving back to her place of birth after law school and raising her two young children there.
READ ON: Oscars: Fil-Am singer H.E.R.’s ‘Fight For You’ wins best original song
Saddened by the effects of shortage of housing in the city where families were also being squeezed out by increasing rent, Vella decided to run for the city council in 2016 and became the city’s first Filipina council member. (AW)
