Meet Amy J. Wong

Amy J. Wong has spent her career bringing people together to solve challenges and ensure local government works for the communities it serves.

Amy’s father came to the United States as a refugee after the Vietnam War, while her mother immigrated from Malaysia. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, Amy saw firsthand how immigrant families navigate new systems, language barriers, and economic uncertainty.

Amy’s parents worked long hours to provide opportunities they never had. Her father was a restaurant chef and her mother worked at a local bank, while their grandmother cared for Amy and her sister during the day. Her parents stretched every dollar to invest in their daughters—even when money was tight, the girls never missed their weekly piano lessons. 

Hard work and perseverance were values instilled in Amy at an early age. As the first in her family to attend college, she went to UC Berkeley, drawn to science after her sister was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease. But while studying public health, she realized the greatest impact often happens long before someone walks into a doctor's office. Safe neighborhoods, clean air, affordable housing, access to parks, and reliable transportation all shape whether families can live healthy lives.

After graduating, Amy began her career with Day One, a Pasadena-based public health organization. There, she partnered with students, residents, schools, and local governments to make neighborhoods healthier and safer. When students identified dangerous streets as one of their biggest concerns, Amy helped turn their ideas into policies that improved walking, biking, and traffic safety. Rather than making decisions for communities, she built a career helping them shape their own.

Over the past decade, Amy has become one of the San Gabriel Valley's leading advocates for healthier, more sustainable communities. Amy has led community engagement programs and secured grant funding to improve the lives of thousands of San Gabriel Valley residents. Through organizations including Active SGV, Nature for All, SGV Progressive Action, and Matilija Collective, she has worked on issues such as youth empowerment, parks and open spaces, transportation, and civic engagement.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy co-founded SGV Progressive Action, a volunteer-led organization that helps residents take an active role in improving their communities. She organized efforts to distribute masks, food, and Know Your Rights resources, led community events to stand against anti-Asian hate, and mobilized residents to advocate for local issues. Most recently, Amy led a successful campaign to ban data centers in Monterey Park, the first voter-approved ban in the country, protecting the community's health and quality of life.

Amy also co-founded Matilija Collective, an independent library and bookstore dedicated to celebrating the diversity of the San Gabriel Valley. She recognized that communities thrive when people have places to gather and connect. With Matilija, she created a welcoming "third space" where people can connect to books, art, history, and each other. 

Amy has also served as a Planning Commissioner for five years, where she helped shape major updates to the Housing and Public Health and Safety Elements. She pushed for policies that expanded housing opportunities, encouraged mixed-use and transit-oriented development, strengthened climate resilience, and centered community health in planning decisions. She also advocated for more inclusive public engagement after seeing too many residents left out because city information and outreach failed to reach immigrant communities.

These experiences reinforce what Amy believes: local government works best when it is transparent, accessible, and responsive to the people it serves.

After years of working and organizing across the San Gabriel Valley, Amy and her husband chose to settle in Alhambra because it reflects everything they love about the region—a vibrant community where generations of families, small businesses, and cultures come together. Amy believes Alhambra's diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and she is committed to protecting what makes the city special while preparing it for the future.

Amy is running for City Council because she believes Alhambra deserves leaders who have spent their careers working alongside the community, not just talking about it. She is running for City Council to bring the same collaborative, results-driven leadership that has defined her career. Amy knows how to turn community priorities into action, and she is ready to put that experience to work for Alhambra. 

As City Councilmember, Amy will tackle housing challenges thoughtfully, support small businesses, improve parks and mobility, strengthen environmental sustainability, protect immigrant families, and ensure every community member has a meaningful voice in shaping Alhambra's future.