Jovita Mendoza
Regional Member, north | City of Brentwood
Jovita Mendoza was born and raised in East Oakland and moved to East Contra Costa over 20 years ago. She is a first generation American, and proud of her Mexican heritage. She was elected in 2020 and this is her first role in local government. She dove right in to tackle issues around climate change and housing.
Jovita earned her B.S. in Business Administration at California State University Hayward (now East Bay) with an Option in Finance and a minor in Economics. She has worked for Top Fortune companies Gap Inc and Safeway Corp before transitioning to the supplier side. During the day she holds a full-time role as a Senior Analytics Manager. She has been able to use her Finance background to review city items with an analytical lens.
Jovita is an active volunteer in her community where the Latino community has deep roots and make up 24% of the population. Brentwood has a strong agricultural history, and she has worked as a translator for field workers during the covid pandemic to encourage vaccination and proper mask & hygiene practices. She continues to work by encouraging Economic Grants for minority business by sitting on the Land Use & Economic Development City of Brentwood Committee.
As a resident representative her priorities are:
• find opportunities to increase resident involvement in local government with a focus on marginalized communities.
• drive economic development around businesses owned by people of color.
• Continue to work with residents to ensure that oil & gas drilling is not allowed in the city as well as adjoining county.
• works towards increasing local control around land use.
• continually increase percentage of inclusionary affordable housing in all new developments, currently up to 13% from 2% as well as continue to discourage in-lieu fees for any development over 9 units.
Jovita lives in a three-generation household with her husband, two daughters and mother in Brentwood and represents District 1.