The son of working-class parents, Manny is a proud product of our local schools. He attended Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mater Dei, and graduated from Middle College High School. 

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While attending Santa Ana Community College, Manny worked at the Santa Ana Public Library and as a machinist at ADAPT Automation with his father. Through hard work and perseverance, Manny transferred and earned a BA in History from UC Berkeley. He continued his studies and completed a Master's of Library & Information Science from UCLA in 2014. 

 

Manny worked his way through school and spent his career preserving the city’s history and working with community members to improve its future. In 2015, he was recognized by the Library Journal for his work with the Teen Community Historian program for collecting, preserving, and sharing Santa Ana's history - a passion he continues to share on social media today. He was then recruited to work for the planning department and pursued a Master's of Urban & Regional Planning from UCLA in 2018, while continuing to work full time for the City of Santa Ana.

 

In 2019, Manny left employment with the city to focus on addressing the policy issues that were impacting Santa Ana residents. He used his knowledge and skill to help researchers study the sources of lead pollution, provided continuing support to local artists, and supported policy initiatives that help improve the quality of life for all residents in the City. He's served as a City representative on the Santa Ana Arts & Cultural Master Plan, Arts and Culture Commission, and was a policy aide for Mayor Vicente Sarmiento. 

 

Manny earned a reputation for being a strong supporter of Santa Ana small businesses as well as being a dedicated advocate for working-class families. As commissioner of the City’s Environmental and Transportation Commission, Manny is currently fighting to make sure all Ward 6 families have access to a safe and healthy environment.

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Manny Escamilla has a proven track record of working for the people of Santa Ana. His lifelong dedication to our community is rooted in the compassion and work ethic that he learned from his family. As a City Councilmember, he will bring the long-range perspective needed to tackle our biggest issues.