Jessica Ancona

Jessica Ancona has served as mayor of El Monte since 2020 and on the City Council since 2018.¹ She works as a high school assistant principal.² Before joining the City Council, she served five years on the El Monte City School District Board.¹

In 2019, as a councilwoman, she voted against all four cannabis business approvals in the city, citing concerns about concentration near schools and low-income neighborhoods.³ In 2026, she urged residents to ask the City Council to adopt a moratorium on new data center applications, saying the city needed time to evaluate the industry’s impacts.⁴ According to her campaign questionnaire, her administration has delivered affordable housing, transitional housing for homeless residents, veterans’ housing, senior housing, and market-rate homes.¹ She states that balancing rising costs and pension liabilities requires fiscal discipline.¹ She opposed a 2026 proposal to eliminate the elected mayor position, stating the role provides independent oversight and that she was targeted for questioning police contracts.⁵ On the council, she supported measures to protect youth from tobacco and vaping products, and advocated for a joint-use agreement with the school district to open more greenspace.²