Candidate for
City Treasurer; City of South Gate

María Belén Bernal was born in Los Angeles and came to the City of South Gate when she was five years old. María Belén is a representation of her parents' exemplary personal values of integrity, commitment to excellence and a strong work ethic. Through her family and parents, she quickly learned the value of hard work, generosity and service to others.

María Belén is a product of the City of South Gate; she was raised in the West Side of the City where she attended Stanford Avenue Elementary, Montara Avenue Elementary and South Gate Middle School. Given her academic and leadership achievement, María Belén graduated from South Gate High School in 1999 with Honors.

After high school, María Belén attended the University of California in Santa Barbara. There she participated in Associated Student Government as a Finance Board member, served as Scholarship and Public Relations Chair of Hermanas Unidas, Inc., and interned with the Office of Relations with Schools, where she promoted the importance of cultural awareness, community involvement and early academic outreach.

In order to enhance her future furthermore, María Belén participated in the University of California, Washington D.C. Program where she worked with the Civil, Human, and Women's Rights Department of the AFL-CIO in Washington D.C. She also participated in overseas educational programs at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, and the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro in México. María Belén graduated and earned Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Sociology and Chicano Studies from the University of California in Santa Barbara in 2003.

Following her university instruction, María Belén served as an intern with the office of Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez and assisted constituents with federal matters such as, Social Security, Immigration and Veteran Affairs. Armed with her academic and professional skills and her renewed desire to serve her community, María Belén joined the District Office of Assembly Member Marco Antonio Firebaugh in 2003 as a Field Representative.

In this capacity, María Belén provided exceptional leadership, working closely with local community groups and organizations, and focused on issues pertaining to Higher Education, Civic Engagement and Health and Human Services. She was an active participant in planning important District events such as the "AB 540 Training: Assisting Immigrant Students To Pursue Higher Education", the "Southeast Student Film Festival" and the "AB 540 Student Conference and Resource Fair."

In 2004, María Belén joined the Oldtimers Foundation, a non-profit in Huntington Park that serves the City of South Gate and surrounding communities. There she provided leadership and management of all Human Resources functions for over 100 employees. Her main focus was to implement a strategic management and organizational development process. In addition, María Belén oversaw general program administration and budget management of programs related to HIV Prevention and Water Conservation.

María Belén later joined the Transportation and Land Use Collaborative, a non-profit organization that assist communities with their planning and visioning projects. As Director of Community Partnerships, she was accountable for building partnerships with residents, non-profit groups and other stakeholders in the San Gabriel Valley and Southeast Los Angeles communities.

Currently, María Belén is a Legal Services Manager for a non-profit Law Firm in Los Angeles. In her spare time, María Belén continues to serve her community as a catechist with St. Emydius Parish where she works with youth from South Gate, Lynwood and Downey. In addition, she volunteers her time to The Riordan Programs at UCLA as she mentors high school students about the opportunities available in pursuing a higher education. María Belén continues to live in the City of South Gate with her lovely parents Ignacio and Carmen Bernal.