DOWNEY — The final year of Mayor Blanca Pacheco’s first term on city council hasn’t been an easy one, plagued by the effects of a worldwide pandemic that did not spare the city of Downey.

So with the election just around the corner and her seat at the dais already contested, Pacheco says it’s important for residents to vote for candidates who are engaged with the community.

Pacheco was originally elected in 2016, serving as Mayor Pro Tem under then Mayor Rick Rodriguez last year. She was sworn in as mayor last December.

Despite what has proven to be a tumultuous several months, Pacheco says that she has managed to still enjoy her run as the leader of the city.

“This has been a year we haven’t seen before, at least not since the 1918 Spanish Flu,” said Pacheco. “But even still, I’ve enjoyed my time being mayor…the reason why I ran for office is to serve my community.”

Pacheco says that she has been extremely active on social media, trying to remain engaged with her constituents and keeping them informed.

“This year has been a year where residents needed as much information as possible,” said Pacheco. “When residents call, I return their phone calls. Some residents send me messages on social media, and I respond to those messages. I try to be as engaged as possible.”

She added that the city has continued to stay active and productive, even during this difficult time, including several of the major Measure S projects which Pacheco inherited that are due to complete by the end of the year.

“We just opened Golden Park recently, and we will see Furman Park opening up,” said Pacheco. “We have finished Fire Stations 1 and 3, and we are nearing completion of our Library and Downey Theater. Everything is moving along.”

Pacheco also takes pride in the current city budget.

“We have been fiscally responsible; we have balanced our budget without having to dip into our reserves,” said Pacheco. “That’s a huge accomplishment, especially given that we were dealing with a pandemic and a loss of revenue from sales tax.”

The city is also looking forward to more economic development along the Imperial Highway corridor, specifically with the anticipated arrival of Chick-fil-A.

And while a lot of the community engagement programs and activities the mayor had hoped to see were forcibly sidelined, Pacheco says that “a lot of great things have been accomplished in our city in this year.”

Should she be reelected, Pacheco hopes to see more engagement with families and youth in the community.

Looking towards November’s election, Pacheco faces an opponent in the form of Alexandria Contreras – a young, progressive candidate whose platform includes increased protections for renters in the city.

Council members have been the target of scrutiny by a group of regular protestors who claim that the council is “corrupt” and act to serve ulterior motives.

This group often demonstrates at council meetings – even going as far as to council members houses - on topics ranging from rent to the Central Water Basin.

In response, Pacheco says that, “They don’t know me and the rest of my council colleagues.”

 “It’s unfortunate that we are seeing these attacks; I wish we knew what the true intentions were,” said Pacheco. “They’re calling us criminals; they’re calling us every name in the book. If they truly knew us on council, they would know how much we care about the community.”

“I think at the end of the day, the residents see how hard we try and how dedicated we are to community...I know the residents know how much we love our city, and it’s unfortunate that these people are coming around attacking us.”

When it comes time to cast their vote, Pacheco says that residents should vote for the candidates “that have been involved in the community, that understand the community’s needs.”

“The current council we have, everyone has the heart of the community, has the best intentions for helping the residents,” said Pacheco. “We just have to make sure we continue to vote those kinds of people into office, so that way we can continue on with all the great things we’ve done in our city.”

Pacheco has the endorsement of her council colleagues, the entire Downey school board, and Supervisor Janice Hahn.