Janna Zurita, Councilwoman District 1

Councilwoman Janna Zurita jzurita@comptoncity.org Liaison Armani Taylor 310-605-5510 ataylor@comptoncity.org

CUSD Alumni Profile

MAYOR PRO TEM JANNA ZURITA BIOGRAPHY

In her first foray onto the political stage, Mayor Pro Tem Janna Zurita was overwhelmingly elected to the Compton City Council on June 11, 2011, soundly defeating an eight year incumbent to represent the First District.

Born and raised in Compton Mayor Pro Tem Zurita comes from a family rich in public service and a legacy of influential women; she is the daughter of Retired Public Administrator Clarence Zurita and former two terms Compton City Councilmember Delores Zurita and the sister of current Compton Unified School District Governing Board Vice President Satra Zurita. She is the mother of 9 year old Chanel and has one niece.

A product of the Compton Unified School District, Mayor Pro Tem Zurita graduated from Compton High School in 1982. She furthered her education at Compton Community College, and Long Beach City College where she was trained and certified as a surgical nurse.

Prior to being elected to the Compton City Council, Zurita worked at various hospitals in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, and she also managed her own business.

Janna began her community service at an early age, volunteering at the Meals On Wheels Program in Compton where her mother served as Executive Director for over 43 years. In 2008, Ms. Zurita was hired as the Senior Citizen Organizer for Dickison Community Lighted Schools, where she was responsible for ensuring that all seniors in her program received the highest level of nutritious meals, as well as the personal comfort that every home bound senior should desire and deserve. She also served as fundraiser and special events coordinator for the program.

On July 12, 2010, Zurita was elected to the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, representing the former 52nd Assembly District.

In July 2011, upon being sworn in as the freshman Councilperson, Councilwoman Janna Zurita assumed the position of Mayor Pro Tem. Councilwoman Zurita has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Sanitation District, the California Cities for Self Reliance Joint Powers Authority, and is a member of the National Association for Equal Justice in America (NAEJA), the NAACP, the Concerned Citizens of Compton and the PTA.

She co-founded the Compton Walk For A Cure to bring breast cancer awareness and free mammograms in an effort to reduce the number of women who succumb to breast cancer in Compton annually. She founded the Autism Swim Adventure Club, the Autism Awareness Fair and a support group to provide opportunities and resources for children with special needs. She partnered with the Michelle Obama “Let’s Move” initiate and started the Let’s Move Compton Annual Fitness Day, among many other social and educational programs that truly enhance the quality of life for all residents of Compton.

Mayor Pro Tem Zurita, often referred to as the fiscal conservative on the city council, ran on the platform and was elected by the citizenry to ensure that all Compton residents receive the highest level of service, accountability, respect and the resources they deserve. In her continued effort to enhance the quality of life for residents, she has championed the following: Economic development and job creation, Community Benefit Agreements, improved public safety, increased youth, senior and community services and programs, clean parks and paved streets.

Mayor Pro Tem Zurita enjoys her partnership working with the Delta Sigma Theta Compton Alumni Chapter and is honored to be recognized by this outstanding organization.

Councilwoman Zurita has been recognized by many great community organizations for her work in the City of Compton. Some of those organizations include the National Association of University Women and Delta Sigma Theta Compton Alumni Chapter to name a few.