The Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council board has elected its new president.
Wendy Castro, a 15-year Boyle Heights resident who has served as a member of the council throughout the past seven years, will now lead the board as president for a two-year term.
Castro defeated incumbent president Shmuel Gonzales in a 9-4 vote at last Wednesday’s board meeting, with two members abstaining.
The meeting marked the first of the new fiscal year for the 19-member board which was elected during the Spring election cycle and is tasked with funding community projects and elevating community concerns to the L.A. City Council.
“’I’m a very direct leader but also a leader that believes in working together and putting the community first regardless of whatever differences we may or may not have,” Castro said. “My goal for the next two years as president would be to ensure that the community is being heard.”
In addition to electing Castro as president, the board elected Aracelly Cauich as vice president, Margarita Amador as secretary and Tania Ramon as treasurer.
Community engagement, protecting residents among priorities for new board
In the lead-up to the vote, the board discussed priorities for the new council, including increasing community engagement, protecting community members from ongoing immigration raids and returning the council to normal operating status.
Castro said she’d prioritize hosting community events to bring residents together and grow their connection to the neighborhood council. To ensure these events are safe, she said she hopes to work with city officials to host them on city property — spaces where immigration enforcement agents cannot legally enter without a warrant.
Alongside improving community engagement, Castro also emphasized the need for the council to restore its operational status. Since December, the council has been under exhaustive efforts, a non-operating status that has prevented it from funding community events or approving neighborhood improvement grants.
“It limits the ability and the power and the advice that the Neighborhood Council can give,” she said, adding that returning the council to regular operating status is her top priority as president.
According to Mario Hernandez, the Neighborhood Empowerment Advocate with Empower LA, seven board members need to complete their required training before the council can return to normal operating status.
When the council does return to normal operations, it will do so under tighter budget constraints. As part of city budget cuts for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, base budgets for neighborhood councils fell from $32,000 to $25,000, leaving less money to fund community grants once general operating expenses are accounted for.
The next scheduled Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council meeting is Wednesday, August 27, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.
Reporting for this story came from notes taken by Andrea Guzman, a Los Angeles Documenter, at the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council meeting. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Check out the meeting notes and audio on Documenters.org.
