Norma Alcala, President
Norma Alcala was first elected to the West Sacramento City Council in November 2020. Norma is the Past President of the Washington Unified School District, where she was twice elected to the Board: in 2018 and 2014. After her 2018 election, Norma announced she would not seek a third term in order to allow others a chance to lead. When a vacancy occurred on the City Council in 2020, Norma successfully ran for office. West Sacramentans also elected her to the Yolo County Democratic Party Central Committee in 2017.
While on the School board she served as Vice President of the Yolo County School Board Association, member of the Up for West Sac Pre School Committees, and WUSD 2 x 2 Committee which works to coordinate WUSD and City of West Sacramento collaborative efforts. In the past, Norma has also served on the WUSD Curriculum Committee. Norma was a leading community advocate for single member districts in WUSD.
Norma has testified at numerous legislative hearing, and is frequently asked to speak at political gatherings such as the Women’s March, and Immigrant Rights rallies.
From 2016- 2018, Norma served as the State Director of the California High School Voter Registration Project. Norma worked with retired Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, the League of Women Voters and numerous grassroots community organizations and unions to register voters throughout the state. In the last 24 months, Norma has registered nearly 10,000 high school students in school districts across the state. From 2016 to 2019, Norma registered the high school Junior and Senior classes at River City High School, Norma believes that high school registration builds a culture of voting and civic engagement that creates a base for democracy. She has conducted high school voter registration training to women all over the state and most recently in Fresno, Pleasanton, Eureka and Tuolumne.
She began her career in state employment in 1982 in the California Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity Legal Department. She was elected President of SEIU 1000/Local 768 Sacramento California State Employees. She left State service to manage her own small business for a number of years before returning to work in the State Legislature for ten years.
Norma has devoted her time to volunteering in the West Sacramento community. She is former President of the West Sacramento League of Women Voters and the West Sacramento chapter of LULAC. Founded in 1930, LULAC is the Latino American equivalent of the NAACP. Norma has served as Past President of the Holy Cross Parish Council and Past President of the Holy Cross Altar Society. At Holy Cross, she served as Director of the Sunday School program. Norma took the children to sing at the Senior Center, take food to the poor, and volunteer at the annual Holy Cross Festival. Norma volunteers at the St Vincent De Paul Food Bank. For years, Norma organized the annual Holy Cross Festival.
The Yolo Concilio awarded her the prestigious Yolo County Woman of the Year award. In 2016 she was a surrogate for Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. In May 2016, she was the introductory speaker for Bernie Sanders at Bonney Field attended by 21,000 people. Norma’s proudest work is her support for getting women elected to office and supporting other women to become leaders. Norma has received awards as Mentor of the Year from both UC Davis Young Dems and Sac State Young Dems. John Burton awarded her the California Outstanding Volunteer and Innovator Award. She is a former member of the Yolo County Grand Jury. She has twice been selected as a national delegate to national Presidential Endorsement Conventions.
Norma Alcala was raised in West Sacramento. Norma Alcala and her husband, Carlos Alcala, live in Broderick. They have five grown children and ten young grandchildren.