Councilmember Rex Richardson endorses Mary Zendejas!
Long Beach, CA – Today, Health Care Director Mary Zendejas announced the endorsement of Long Beach Councilmember and former Vice Mayor Rex Richardson. Councilmember Richardson represents the 9th Council District in North Long Beach and has been a leading voice on economic inclusion, lifting people out of poverty and ensuring that working people have the tools to organize and lead in their communities.
In announcing his endorsement, Councilmember Richardson stated:
“ I am proud to support and stand with Mary Zendejas for City Council.
She is a principled and compassionate leader, who will rise to the occasion on the issues impacting Long Beach families: access to affordable housing, economic opportunity, and quality of life.
I look forward to working with Mary to ensure that the First District and all of Long Beach is healthy, safe, and thriving,”
Mary Zendejas had this to say about her most recent endorsement:
“I am so thankful for the endorsement of Councilmember Rex Richardson. He is a leader on the City Council who is not afraid to stand up for his residents to ensure they get their fair share of resources. I look forward to working alongside him on the Long Beach City Council.”
As an infant, Mary was diagnosed with Polio, and later in High School started using a wheelchair daily. Her passion for living and working hard is rooted in seeing her parents, a field hand and factory worker, provide their children a better life. Their hard-work allowed Mary to go to California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and become the first in her family to graduate from college.
Her advocacy dates back nearly three decades starting in her high school, where she organized citizenship fairs to help community members follow their American Dream of becoming US citizen. She is also the founder of Professional Abilities Association of America, an organization created for working professionals with disabilities by working professionals with disabilities, focusing on inclusion in the workforce. Additionally, she is a two-time graduate of Leadership Long Beach, served as a member of Mayor Robert Garcia’s Transition Team, a former board member of Housing Long Beach and a past Ms. Wheelchair California.
Currently, she is serving her second term on the Long Beach Transit (LBT) Board of Directors. LBT is a leading agency in the transportation industry and a multimillion-dollar company. During her time at Long Beach Transit, she has led the effort to streamline access and reliability of paratransit services throughout the system and has helped to implement zero-emission buses into the fleet. Mary is also currently a board member of several local non-profits and advocacy organizations, including the Murphy Foundation Board and the Disabled Resource Center.
