Paloma Aguirre moved to Imperial Beach in 2003 to pursue a college education and competitive bodyboarding.
Fifteen-years later — with a few advanced degrees and bodyboarding titles behind her — she’s making a bid to become Imperial Beach’s first Latina city councilmember.
“I am honored to announce my candidacy for IB City Council, a city I love so much,” she said in a released statement Wednesday. “As City Councilwoman, my priority will be to ensure IB residents have access to clean beaches, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and that our city continues to grow economically in a sustainable way.”
Her foray into politics isn’t surprising.
She currently serves as coastal and marine director for Wildcoast, where she says she oversees projects to conserve coastal ecosystems in border region, state and national ocean policy.
She began her career with Wildcoast in 2006, but stepped away from the international nonprofit in 2016 to complete NOAA’s Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship in Washington D.C., working for Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). According to Aguirre, she assisted Booker with “developing federal legislation in the oceans and environment portfolio.”
In 2014, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher honored Aguirre with the “Woman of the Year” award for her environmental leadership, including advocating for clean water in Imperial Beach.
According to Aguirre’s resume, she was recently elected as a co-chair for the International Boundary and Water Commission; serves as an advisor to the State Lands Commission in their development of its Environmental Justice Policy; is an advisor in the 4th Climate Change Assessment for the State of California; is co-founder of the Tijuana River Action Network; a board member of Four Walls International; a member of Tijuana and Rosarito Clean Beaches Committees; and is a member of the IBWC Minute 320 Core, Water Quality, and Solid Waste working groups.
Her work follows a master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
Now Aguirre will need to convince voters that her experience is worthy of a spot on the Imperial Beach City Council.
“I look forward to knocking on every door of every home in our incredibly diverse city to learn about the needs, hopes and expectations of the individuals that make up our beloved IB!”
–Toni McAllister
