Denise Diaz  

Regional Member, south |  City of South Gate 

Council Experience 

Denise Diaz was elected to the South Gate City Council on April 11, 2017, to serve her first four-year term. Council Member Diaz is humbled and excited for the opportunity to serve the residents of South Gate.

Background

Denise was born and raised in the City of South Gate attending Saint Emydius Elementary School and Saint Matthias High School, where she played soccer and was involved in the dramatic arts. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication. While in college, Denise attended a semester abroad at Pannasatra University in the Capital City of Cambodia where she studied philanthropy, art and social justice. After graduation, she received a post-graduate certificate in International Business from the esteemed Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Guadalajara, Mexico. She worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. for several years while she served a four-year term on the advisory board for the Secretary of External Relations for Mexicans Abroad- a branch of the Mexican government. 

Service Experience

After spending years in various parts of the country, Denise decided to return to South Gate, where she has always dreamed of serving her community. For the last twenty years, she has helped her family run a successful business that has served the community for over thirty years. She is a past member of the Tweedy Merchant Association, and a current member of the South Gate Women’s Club and South Gate Rotary. Denise believes in a healthy and sustainable community, this is why she is the founding member of the Environmental Action Team. She is also an executive board member of the East LA Classic Theatre, a theatre arts program that is present in elementary and high schools across Los Angeles. 

Present 

Denise is currently the Director of the non-profit, ‘Institute for the Attention of Immigrants’, originating from the State of Jalisco, Mexico, where she provides a wide range of services to Mexican nationals throughout the greater Los Angeles area. 

As a Council Member, Denise would like to focus on several key areas including job creation, economic development and public and traffic safety. Denise firmly believes in an open-door policy where she encourages and welcomes her constituents to attend council meetings, engage in public discourse and voice their opinions and concerns in order to make the best decisions that reflect the needs of the community.