State Senator Takes Ceremonial Oath in Pasadena Saturday As Immigration, Housing Crises Escalate

When Senator Sasha Renée Pérez takes her ceremonial oath of office Saturday at Pasadena City College for California’s 25th State Senate District, she will do so as one of California’s most progressive voices on immigrant rights and housing reform, carrying legislation that would ban algorithmic rent manipulation at a time when many of her constituents are still reeling from January’s devastating Eaton Fire.

Her outspoken pushback against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions makes her among the most vocal of California’s elected officials.

Saturday’s ceremony, originally scheduled for January but postponed when Pérez pivoted to Eaton Fire disaster relief efforts, represents more than a symbolic gesture for the 32-year-old freshman senator who officially assumed office on December 2.

Chair of the powerful Senate Education Committee and author of 23 bills in her first legislative session, Pérez has positioned herself as a fierce advocate for renters, immigrants, and the unhoused—constituencies she knows intimately.

“California renters — like myself — are getting hit with unbearably high rents,” Pérez has said regarding SB 52, her signature “End AI Rent Hikes Act,” which seeks to prohibit landlords from using pricing algorithms to collude and artificially inflate rental prices. The bill, which must pass both chambers and reach the governor’s desk by September 12, reflects her broader economic justice agenda.

The 10 a.m. ceremony at Sexson Auditorium, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.,  will feature an impressive roster of Democratic luminaries.

Congresswoman Judy Chu will administer the oath, while Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, Senate President pro Tempore Designee Monique Limón, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, Pasadena City College Superintendent/President José A. Gómez, Ph.D., and PCC Board of Trustees President Alton Wang look on.

Their presence underscores Pérez’s rapid ascent in Sacramento politics, bolstered by endorsements from progressive powerhouses like Courage California and the California Environmental Voters.

Pérez’s legislative portfolio reveals a lawmaker unafraid to challenge established power structures.

Beyond housing, she has introduced the Homeless Rights Protection Act to prevent criminalizing people for sleeping outdoors when no shelter is available, calling such practices “inhumane” in response to the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling. Her SAFE Act would require schools to notify communities when federal immigration agents are present on campus—a direct rebuke to recent enforcement actions she condemned as “illegal racial profiling.”

Additional measures include SB 355, targeting wage theft by authorizing the Labor Commissioner to report unpaid claims as potential tax fraud; SB 411, the Stop Child Hunger Act addressing student food insecurity; SB 341, reestablishing the Instructional School Gardens Program; and SB 805, the No Vigilantes Act, which expands police impersonation laws and requires all law enforcement to visibly display identification, specifically prohibiting bounty hunters from immigration enforcement activities.

The senator’s progressive credentials were forged during her tenure as Alhambra’s mayor, where she championed hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic and was instrumental in establishing a Project Labor Agreement for the city. Her appointment to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission and role as Political Director for California’s successful abortion rights constitutional amendment further solidified her standing among the state’s progressive vanguard.

Pérez’s 2022 Congressional Woman of the Year Award from Judy Chu recognized her sustainability work.

Representing the 25th Senate District—which encompasses Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Glendale, Alhambra, Arcadia, Claremont, Monrovia, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose, Glendora, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and San Antonio Heights—Pérez faces the challenge of serving diverse communities still recovering from natural disasters while advancing an ambitious legislative agenda.

Light refreshments will be served following the event. Public parking will be available in PCC Student Lot 5, accessible via South Bonnie Avenue between East Del Mar Boulevard and East Colorado Boulevard.