SAN GABRIEL VALLEYWIDE NEWS
Winston Chua

ALHAMBRA - To say he went from rags to riches would be oversimplifying things or understating his and his family’s accomplishments. And it would imply that his riches were simply monetary. But one cannot ignore the fact that he is the son of farm workers in Salinas and he did graduate from Harvard University. So it is safe to say that Alhambra Councilman Luis Ayala has come a long way from rather humble beginnings.

The 36-year-old Ayala came from as poor a living condition as they come. His parents were migrant farm workers who raised their children in a one bedroom apartment. He came from a low income high school. But his parents worked long hours in fields to provide for their children, eventually saving the resources from their hard labor to purchase and move into a three bedroom home.
But that transition was not easy. Ayala said that his mother, with little more than a 6th grade education, woke up at 3 a.m. each morning to pick up onions from the field. His father would wake up at 4 a.m. Ayala’s father would later find work in construction, and his mother would retire from farm work after 20 years.

Ayala inherited his parents’ work ethic, along with their humility and made his way to Santa Clara University but initially faced difficulties trying to balance playing college football with a rigorous pre-med academic schedule. His mediocre 1.6 GPA was a wakeup challenge to him from his parents either to pursue higher level education or enter the workforce. He chose education, graduating from Santa Clara and then obtained his master’s degree at Harvard with a focus in the administration and policy of education.

He is proud of the vision and fortitude it took for him to transform his life from his own humble beginnings into an elected official. He continues to apply the lessons his parents taught him, especially in terms of being a public servant.

“The hardest part about being a councilman is making every constituent happy. Satisfying everyone is not easy,” he said. Ayala knows that being attentive to his constituents is key in building his and the city’s credibility. Among the challenges he faces are the city’s diminishing resources to renovate Downtown Alhambra. It is his hope that Alhambra will become the premiere destination of the San Gabriel Valley in terms of economic development, dining, shopping and even athletic endeavors while also diminishing the city’s crime rate.

Ayala is proud of the fact that Alhambra is a multiethnic community and that it was nominated as one of the top business friendly cities in Southern California.

Medicine continues to be a major part of Ayala’s life. He represents 8,000 physicians in Los Angeles County as a mediator between physicians and lawmakers. As the passage of a health care bill looms large, he recognizes the fact that many medical professionals are skeptical of how the system may operate and the way they will be reimbursed. Still, he supports universal coverage and subsidizing care for low income and elderly patients, saying he is more than willing to pay higher taxes to give care to those who do not have it.

Ayala has two children, Diego and Citlali, 2 and 4 respectively. He is happily married to his wife Adriana. “The best part of life is spending time with my family, seeing my kids grow up, my wife and being close to familiy in general. It’s working in the things that you love to do, to have the ability to have a job where you look forward to going to every day,” Ayala said.