By Mary O’KEEFE

On Saturday a swearing-in ceremony was held for State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez about eight months after she took office. 

The event was hosted at Pasadena City College (PCC) and several hundred people filled the seats of the college’s recently opened Sexson Auditorium. There were numerous dignitaries in the audience representing her constituency, throughout District 25. 

“Welcome to Pasadena City College,” said Dr. José Gómez, president of PCC.

“I can’t think of a better place to hold such a historic and beautiful event in honor of our champion, Senator Sasha Renee Perez, than right here on this campus, in this building, and on this stage.”

He then shared the history of the college, which was built in 1924, and of the auditorium.

“In 1933 there was a massive earthquake here in Southern California. It was known as the Long Beach Earthquake and it was so powerful that it destroyed most of the original campus here at Pasadena City College,” he said. 

The only thing left standing at PCC from that earthquake was the stage on which the ceremony was being held. 

“Everything else on the campus had to be rebuilt except this stage,” Gómez said. 

The building around the stage had fallen and for several years instructors at the school taught classes on the campus lawn. 

“The stage has a very sacred and symbolic importance to our college and our community,” said Gómez. “Resilience, courage in the face of adversity and community dreams realized – and this is where our senator Sasha Peréz will take her oath of office. Resilience, courage and dreams realized.”

In addition to having a rich history, the auditorium recently completed renovations and the ceremony on Saturday was the first time the doors had opened since the construction was completed. 

Other speakers included masters of ceremonies Juliana Serrano, who is the vice president of advocacy and equity at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Alton Wang, president PCC board of trustees, Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, Hilda Solis, LA County Supervisor – First District and Judy Chu, California State Senate and the representative who officiated at the swearing in. 

Several speakers shared stories of Pérez’s boots-on-the-ground work ethic, her family’s strength and support, her work with the unhoused and recently with those affected by the Eaton Fire. In fact, the swearing-in ceremony is typically held in January but was pushed to August because her focus was on Eaton Fire recovery. 

“The morning after the Eaton Fire, when our community was still reeling in utter shock and disbelief, one of the first phone calls I received was from Senator Pérez. She wasn’t calling with talking points or press releases. She was calling to ask, very simply, ‘Are you okay? What do you need? How can I help?’ That moment told me everything I need to know about her leadership,” said Knapp. 

Pérez thanked her family, her staff and her constituents for their support.

“On Jan. 7, on my second day in Sacramento, one of the most destructive fires in California state history began in Altadena. That night, what began as a few text messages from local firefighters informing me they were responding to a fire in the hills near Altadena quickly spun out of control. I returned to my office to see live footage of flames and quickly began to call friends, family and community members to [make sure] people were safe,” Pérez said. “Altadena was home to a community of people who took great pride in looking out for each other. And in the weeks that followed, Altadena showed the world what community looks like.”

She added that moving forward will mean dealing with what was done right, and also what did not work, and acknowledging that mistakes were made and that the “government we can do better.”
She has been busy since taking office in January introducing 22 bills (legislators are only allowed to introduce 35 over a two year period). Most of the bills introduced dealt with the Eaton Fire including providing protection for tenants and mortgage relief. 

She spoke of her opposition to ICE agents targeting Los Angeles. 

“And arresting Latino immigrants and Latino American citizens in droves,” she said.

She spoke of her support of the California redistricting efforts that will be on the ballot in November. 

“California did not ask for this battle nor do we want it but we know it’s time for us to show up and fight back to protect the 2026 election,” she said. “I want to be honest with you – I love this work but I didn’t anticipate that so much of my tenure would be spent playing defense against the federal government. I was most excited to work on the everyday issues that impact all of use regardless of party.”

She added the first bills she introduced were focused on children and hunger, and to ban AI technology like RealPage, which is accused of driving up rent prices, and preventing school employees or teachers who have committed sexual misconduct from being able to be rehired in a new school district. 

She added that the reality of serving in the Legislature today is not what she expected. She spends a lot of time responding to what Washington is doing to her state. But then she shared a story of her inspiration. She was sitting with a woman whose father had been taken by ICE agents. They were waiting to be allowed into the facility where he was being held to deliver his diabetes medication. Pérez spoke to the daughter, who was upset and worried about her father. 

“She looked at me and said, ‘What else can I do?’ I asked her what she meant and she said, ‘I want to know how I can organize to prevent this from happening to someone else. I want to know how I can protect the next family.’ I sat there astonished that in this moment when this young girl had gone through so much … that she, without hesitation, wanted to get back up and fight,” Pérez said. “How could I not pick up and join in that fight alongside her?”