SAN GABRIEL VALLEYWIDE NEWS
Winston Chua

Alhambra Spotlight: Steve Placido and Public Service
Alhambra Mayor Steve Placido has since his youth believed in public service. At Alhambra High School he was active in student government. He was president of his dental school, driven by a belief that people should always work for the greater good. But he is especially proud of his work as a city councilman.
“Serving the community has been a wonderful experience. Especially when you can grow up in a town and run for city council and give back to the community, that has helped you your entire life,” Mr. Placido said.
Mr. Placido was born in Montebello before being displaced by the 60 Freeway and then relocating to Alhambra at the age of 4. After he established his dental practice in Alhambra in 1990, he joined the city’s Rotary Club and then became part of the Housing and Urban Developemnt committee for eight years. He then joined the planning commission for six years because he always felt an interest to participate in improving business for the community. Then came an opening for an Alhambra city council seat in 2000. He ran, but lost. That did not stop Mr. Placido from living an uncompromising life. When the councilman of his district was not doing a good job, Mr. Placido ran again in 2004, unseating the incumbent who defeated him four years earlier. He carries a noteworthy distinction of being one of just two candidates to oust an incumbent in all of Los Angeles County in 2004.
Mr. Placido, now in his second term, is most proud of keeping Alhambra out of the red and striving to balance the budget, despite attempts from the State to steal its revenue. Still, Alhambra is facing reduced sales tax income, making it harder for the city to live within its means.
Personally, Mr. Placido is the proud father of two girls. His father lives in Alhambra and both of his parents stressed good education. His late mother was a Boy Scout den mother. His father was a leader of scout troops. Mr. Placido and his younger brother, Mike, both became eagle scouts. He said that the time he spent scouting helped him develop leadership skills and the ability to perform in stress-filled situations. As Alhambra’s mayor, he is expected to show up at all the events in town. The time constraints and his full-time work as a dentist make things challenging at times.
As far as Alhambra issues go, he is most proud of his city’s $30 million library, what he calls “the jewel of the city.” The library was built without adding debt or taxes to the city’s taxpayers, as the city refinanced bonds to get the project off the ground.
Mr. Placido has been working for a solution to the 710 quagmire. He feels a tunnel option would help reduce congestion and improve air quality, something he said has been needed since the 1960s.
“It would mean tremendous relief on local streets,” said the mayor. He hopes that South Pasadena and Alhambra can continue to work together, as they have in removing the surface route as a viable connecting option. The intersection of Fremont and Valley Boulevard is the fourth busiest intersection in Los Angeles County. He said that some people who oppose the connector are ignoring facts from studies in favor of subjective feelings.
Before diving into politics, Mr. Placido graduated from the University of Southern California before graduating from New York University and then completing his residency, one of just a handful of dentists, with respect to dentists, who complete postgraduate work in dentistry. He said that that extra bit of education has boosted his professional knowledge and experience. He looks to run for his third term for city council in 2012, but does not plan to pursue for higher office.