Recognizing the Achievements of Sandra Figueroa-Villa

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor non-profit leader and lifetime activist, Sandra Figueroa-Villa. Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Ms. Figueroa-Villa has devoted over four decades to the non- profit sector, most notably serving as the Executive Director of El Centro del Pueblo since 1980.

At El Centro del Pueblo, Ms. Figueroa-Villa has worked to address and mitigate the impacts of gang violence in Los Angeles. Thanks to her leadership, El Centro was transformed from an organization with a budget deficit and two part-time employees to a nationally recognized social services provider with 80 employees and an annual budget of $10 million.

Ms. Figueroa-Villa has expanded El Centro's services to include family preservation, employment services, and youth delinquency prevention programs, which helps reduce youth violence and strengthen local families. In addition, El Centro is home to the Echo Park Family Source Center, providing financial counseling, tax preparation, tutoring and college prep classes and other critical services to Angelenos.

Ms. Figueroa-Villa has also been active in public service, serving on the Board of Police Commissioners. In this role, she improved policies for the Police Department's interactions with homeless individuals, and the Department's de-escalation and use of force protocols. Ms. Figueroa-Villa continues to serve on numerous executive boards and commissions, notably including the City's Children, Youth, and Family Commission and the Los Angeles Unified School District's Redistricting Commission.

In recognition of Ms. Figueroa-Villa's decades of leadership in advancing social justice and community empowerment, the city has named the intersection of W. Sunset Boulevard and Lemoyne Street, adjacent to El Centro del Pueblo's main office, as ``Sandra Figueroa-Villa Square.'' This historic renaming will ensure Ms. Figueroa-Villa's legacy is remembered by all Angelenos in the years ahead.

On behalf of my colleagues in Congress, I sincerely thank Ms. Figueroa-Villa for her continued dedication to Los Angeles and lifelong career in public service.

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