For the first time in 20 years, the mayor of Maywood is a woman

Mayra Aguiluz was sworn in as the new mayor of the City of Maywood. This is a milestone for the 31-year-old as she is the first woman elected mayor of Maywood in 20 years. 

Maywood is a 1.18-square-mile city with 23,824 residents and is considered the third smallest city in Los Angeles County.

As the daughter of an Indigenous Guatemalan woman, this is a big celebration for Aguiluz and her family in both the United States and Guatemala. 

Aguiluz and her two siblings were born and raised in Maywood by her single mother, Emma Socop Muyuc, who always instilled in them the importance of education as the key to success. Ms. Muyuc worked as a seamstress during the week and cleaned houses on the weekends.

“My sister and I would help her clean houses,” recalled Aguiluz. 

Aguiluz said growing up in a low-income family with a single parent motivated her to work hard for her dreams. After graduating from Maywood Academy in 2011, she transferred to Cal State L.A., where she obtained her bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Rehabilitation Services and her Master of Science in Counseling. She currently works as a therapist for L.A. Care Court, a program started under Governor Gavin Newsom. 

Deciding to represent her city

Growing up in a small city such as Maywood makes it easy to learn everything that is happening. Aguiluz remembers she would hear about the bribery and corruption scandal that the former mayor of Maywood, Ramon Medina, and other city officials were facing. In 2021, they were charged with several counts, including bribery, embezzlement, theft and conspiracy. 

It was then that Aguiluz decided to change the city's narrative and have residents vote for people from the community who could prove to have the ethics and values needed to serve. 

“Hearing a lot of this was a bit sad because it shows that the council was not there to serve our community, so that motivated me to run,” she said. 

Unlike bigger cities, smaller ones such as Maywood don’t provide salaries to their council members. It is more like a monthly stipend. However, they are government officials and are required to participate in all council meetings and other city-related activities.

Aguiluz also volunteers at the local YMCA, where she teaches the youth how to become involved with government, hoping to inspire some of them to become interested in government positions when they grow up. 

Plans as mayor

At the beginning of the year, the City of Maywood received a grant to renovate and remodel the Teen Center. This will provide a venue for activities focusing on constructive community-building/socialization and active learning opportunities in assorted technology areas, such as 3D printing, music engineering, information technology, and healthy food and nutritional life skills. The project will include outdoor gathering spaces, parking, and new landscaping improvements. Aguiluz says they need an additional $5 million to complete the project. 

The mayor also hopes to be able to provide more social services like therapy for adults and children to the city. “This is important because that is something that many are not familiar with but is needed,” she said. “Hopefully, we will break ground in late 2025.”

Additionally, Aguiluz said she is trying to find a way to donate her council stipend of about $500 monthly to help a single-parent family. . 

Aguiluz said she is very proud to show her mother that she and her siblings followed the path of education for a better future. Her older sister graduated as a social worker from Cal State Long Beach and her brother has a business in the City of Bell. 

Her mother recognizes that she wouldn’t think Aguiluz would become the mayor of the city where they have lived for decades. Now that she sees her doing it, she says it is “a blessing.”

“I would say to people out there, que le echen ganas, there is so much beauty in the struggle,” said Aguiluz.