After Tony Wu was sworn in as West Covina’s next mayor last week, any and every community group representing many cultures — African American, Chinese, Filipino, Hispanic, Japanese, Jewish — were invited to offer their congratulations.
This wasn’t Wu grandstanding, he said. He wanted all groups and cultures to feel welcome not only in the council chambers but in West Covina as a while.
“I may be the first immigrant American to be elected mayor (of West Covina), but it’s them,” Wu said, “they started all this. Without them, as an immigrant, I wouldn’t have the chance to serve.”
Wu, who immigrated to the United States from Taiwain in 1983, became the first immigrant to serve as West Covina mayor Tuesday. But that wasn’t the only first.
Letty Lopez-Viado, who was chosen to serve as the city’s mayor pro tem, will become the city’s first Latina and Filipina mayor when she assumes the title — which is largely ceremonial and rotates among City Council members — in a year.
Before the festivities began at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Planning Commission Chairman Herb Redholtz spoke in public comment to thank outgoing mayor Lloyd Johnson for his service and to reflect on the city’s diversity as Wu was set to take receive the gavel.
Redholtz noted the city has celebrated many firsts over the years, with Nancy Manners as its first female mayor, Frederick Sykes serving as its first African American mayor, Richard Melendez serving as its first Hispanic mayor and Ben Wong serving as the city’s first Chinese American mayor.
“A few years ago, we were kind of forced to go into voting districts to because apparently we’re not diverse enough, but if you look back over the years, we did it without anyone telling us to,” Redholtz said. “We elected who we wanted to and didn’t care if you were white, black, Asian, Hispanic, it didn’t make a difference.”
That diversity is important to the community, as evidenced by the various groups in attendance Tuesday, Wu said.
“When I first said I was running for City Council, people said I didnt’ stand a chance,” Wu said. “I speak English with an accent, and there’s no way a ‘fresh off the boat’ guy could win, but I did and have been working hard for the people ever since.”
For Lopez-Viado, who was elected in 2018, becoming mayor pro tem and mayor next year is a crowning achievement after growing up in poverty.
Her Mexican father died of leukemia when she was 5 years old, so her Filipina mother raised her and her brother as best she could but in poverty, she said. She nonetheless became the first in her family to attend college and, later, get a master’s degree.
It wasn’t until she was elected to the City Council that she was told she was the first Latina and Filipina elected to the council, and those firsts will also apply when she becomes mayor.
“I didn’t run to be the first Latina/Filipina council member, it just happened,” Lopez-Viado said. “But people who identify with those cultures have told me they’re excited.
“They actually look up to it, it motivates them, and they feel like they can jump on board and feel more connected with their city government.”
In what Lopez-Viado called perfect timing, before she was named mayor pro tem, she and other council members helped celebrate the grand opening of Jollibee Foods Corporation’s new North American headquarters in West Covina. She received a loud round of applause when it was announced she would be mayor in a year’s time.
“They were so proud of their business,” Lopez-Viado said. “I’m so proud to have that connection with them and that they felt proud to move to a city where the leadership reflects the community.”
