Mayor Pro Tem Misty Perez

BACKGROUND 
I put myself through school while raising children and obtained a POST Certificate, a Paralegal Certificate and a BA in World History.  I have worked in the legal field since 1998 and have extensive experience in plaintiff and defense trial work in the areas of Civil Rights, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury and Family Law.  After an interest in the Airforce Academy and Law Enforcement early on, my career took a turn towards the law.  My first introduction was working for a solo civil rights attorney at the young age of 21 where I learned everything I could about about victim rights and the law. 

GOALS
My goals as a City Council Member all correlate back to investing in our community.   We need to create and build opportunities for financial growth and long-term revenue stability by improving our beach area and building up small businesses, create community recreational programs for all ages to ensure our youth are engaged and our seniors are active and healthy, and protect and serve our community by providing mental health and drug addiction outreach and creating solutions for our homeless population.   

FAMILY
I am newly married, with a blended family of 6, since October 2019 and prior to that for the last 10 years, I raised three children as a single mother.  Having lost my 22-year-old son in July 2019 to suicide, I became an advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I believe that mental health and depression continues to be a stigma in our society and often overlooked until it’s too late.