Gators take the lead: SFSU alumni make political history in 3 Bay Area cities
Robin López and his family attend his mayoral swearing in ceremony at Albany City Hall in December.
Two alums sworn in as mayor, another as city council member
Three San Francisco State University alumni made history in late 2024 after two were sworn in as mayors and another won a city council seat. Robin López (B.S., ’15) became the first person of Latino and mixed-Indigenous (Purépecha) ancestry to serve as the mayor of Albany. Eddie Flores (MBA, ’19) is the first Salvadoran immigrant mayor in South San Francisco and in the history of the Bay Area. Belle La (B.A., ’04) is the first Asian American elected to Pleasant Hill’s city council.
Elected in 2022, López and Flores rotated into the mayoral seat of their respective cities in positions they’ll hold for a year. Meanwhile, La ran and won her Pleasant Hill city council seat. Getting involved in local politics, they said, was about more than just solving problems in their communities. It was also about showing future generations what’s possible.
“If we don’t see people who have similar experiences or shared values and cultural experiences, it’s really hard to project ourselves into those spaces,” López said.
The whole community benefits from a government that’s reflective of the community, López added. “It’s more than the color of someone’s skin, or their national origin. It’s bringing in different experiences, different cultural perspectives to that decision-making table,” he added. “Sometimes when we think about solutions, we don’t always consider the impact it may have on someone, the way they live or the way they go about their lives. Having this type of representation as a leader of a community can go a long way.”
All three alums recently shared their journeys to public office with SF State News, offering advice to students interested in serving their communities.
Eddie Flores’ story
At 7 years old, Eddie Flores and his mother fled the turmoil of civil war in El Salvador and sought refuge and a brighter future in the United States. He’s felt gratitude ever since for the opportunities he’s received in his adopted country. As an adult, he’s devoted his life to serving his community and country, a testament to how deep his appreciation runs, he says.
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Public Policy and Public Health he began a career in education and at nonprofit organizations. As he grew into more senior roles, his professional path expanded into marketing, communications and event planning. To further advance his expertise in those areas he enrolled in SFSU’s executive MBA program.
SFSU's program exposed him to different career paths and students of different professions. “Our professors encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone. If you have been in an education trajectory, step out and understand what it looks like to be in a nonprofit or in the public or private sector. That really enriched my perspective,” he said. “I was able to touch on the different aspects of public service, as well as private entities, corporations, the challenges that exist in big tech and upcoming startups. It expanded my knowledge and I was able to also increase my network of individuals in various fields.”
He’s no stranger to elected office (he was a school board trustee for the South San Francisco Unified School District from 2018 – 2021), but it was his MBA program that broadened his exposure to different professional realms. His diverse background prepared him to address the challenges facing South San Francisco, including retail displacement and the establishment of a business improvement district. A few months into the role of mayor and he’s already made substantial progress.
“I am fully prepared for the hard work ahead and feel deeply honored to serve,” he said.
Advice to Students: There are small actions students can take. “It could be providing public comment on an issue or a particular area that you’re very close to, or have been affected [by], or want to provide some change,” he said.
Belle La’s story
The daughter of immigrant parents who fled the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979, Belle La grew up in San Francisco listening to her parents’ stories about the injustices they faced in Vietnam as people of Chinese descent. It’s their experiences that compelled her to fight for a more just and equitable world.
In high school, she watched a video about the criminal justice system featuring San Francisco’s late Public Defender Jeff Adachi. She had found the perfect stage to wage her battle against injustice. After graduating, she enrolled in SFSU’s Criminal Justice program and became active in the Criminal Justice Student Association. Eventually, she became the club’s vice-president and expanded its membership from 30 to 300 students and created a pathway for the Alpha Phi Signma Criminal Justice Honor Society.
Meanwhile, she took courses in Asian American Studies to meet a general education requirement, but ended up declaring it her second major. Learning Asian American history created a new way to connect with her parents and understand their history. “It was almost as though I didn’t hear the full history because I didn’t learn that in American history in high school,” she said.
At the recommendation of a faculty member, she landed an internship at Huckleberry House for at-risk youth. She eventually became a case manager and developed workshops to help educate and advocate for youth and families. Her advocacy work led her to enroll in SFSU’s paralegal program — she wanted to better understand the legal system.
Before completing that program, she landed her dream job at the San Francisco Public Defender’s office. She later worked for the city as a contracts analyst and is currently working at the University of California, San Francisco as a senior financial analyst.
The throughline in her career has always been serving her community. “It was always about helping people in some way, shape or form, not only for their well-being, but really for their future, and how to help them navigate through systems that may not have been easy for anyone to understand,” La said.
Outside of work, La was active in her community, volunteering in her children’s schools and other organizations. Running for city council in Pleasant Hill, the place she’s called home for the past 12 years, was just a continuation of her life’s calling.
Her opponent had more experience in the political arena, but she led a grassroots campaign that became a family affair. Her son was her legislative aides and helped with the marketing. Along the campaign trail she accomplished another key goal — her three kids got a front row seat to civic engagement.
La won narrowly (by 33 votes), but voter turn-out was the high, she says. La became the first Asian American on Pleasant Hill’s city council. “I’m hoping to inspire others to run and also have their voice be heard,” La said.
Advice to Students: Her father once told her, “Follow your dreams, work hard and you can achieve anything you put your mind to.” She often reflects back on the words, especially during a difficult time and it gives her a much-needed push.
Start small and think about your interests. And remember, there’s no idea that can’t grow and expand. “Talk to faculty, talk to someone about your idea. Bring it up to someone and say, ‘Hey, I have this specific idea. How do I navigate through this? Is there a pathway?’ Through asking questions and dedication, you will see many opportunities unfold before your eyes.” she said.
Robin López’s story
In high school, Robin López never could have predicted he’d become mayor of the city adjacent to his hometown of Richmond. At one point his GPA was 1.7 and school officials placed him on a vocational track.
“We weren’t the students [the school] was going to give up on entirely, but we also got rendered as the students that they didn’t think were university material,” he said. “You start internalizing that.”
At that time, Richmond had a reputation of being a high-crime area. Many of López’s friends had run-ins with law enforcement or were victims of gun violence. López managed to rise above his circumstances. After a few failed attempts at college, the sudden death of his best friend fueled him with a renewed purpose: earning a college degree in civil engineering.
He enrolled in Contra Costa Community College and later SFSU’s School of Engineering — both for the second time. At SFSU, he joined Alpha Phi Omega, a fraternal service organization, eventually becoming its service vice president. He recalled co-chairing the group’s AIDS Awareness Day. He promoted testing and provided resources to students with HIV. That’s when he felt the power of advocacy.
That’s what really started helping me project myself into these elevated roles of advocacy and taking up these spaces,” he said. “I like the idea of being a connector and facilitator.
Bringing people together and providing service was really dope. I attribute a lot of those skills to me being an effective leader now.”
The father of two went on to earn a master’s degree in engineering from San José State University. He then pivoted to environmental science and is now a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, living in student housing in Albany.
Wanting to get involved in his community, he joined Albany’s Social Economic Justice Commission. In 2022, he ran for the five-person city council and won. He’s enjoying his time in city government but doesn’t plan to ascend higher, he says. His true passion is students. He wants to become a professor at a California State University. He hopes to leverage his time in office to again be a connector and facilitator, but this time for students looking for internships and jobs.
Advice to Students: “Get involved with campus organizations that align with your values. That could be your conduit for community organizations,” he said.
More information about SFSU Alumni is available online.
Tags
Related News
