More than 30 years ago, Betty Martinez Franco crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization, beginning an American odyssey that would turn her into the unlikeliest of politicians.
Her journey took her to Los Angeles, where her then-husband couldn’t find work. She then moved to Washington state, where she climbed ladders to pick apples while pregnant. She is a domestic violence survivor who raised two kids while moving from shelter to shelter to stay away from her abusive ex-husband. She babysat and cleaned hotel rooms at Disney’s Grand California Hotel, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen in 2016.
Martinez Franco made a pit stop at the USC Price School of Public Policy, where she earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) online in 2023. Then, she made history.
In May, she became the first Latina and Mexican immigrant elected to the Irvine City Council.
“Every day that I come here to City Hall, I feel like the luckiest person alive,” Martinez Franco said. “I never in my life imagined that I was going to be here.”
Immigrant Experience
Martinez Franco’s motivation to run for elected office can be traced to her experience as an immigrant. When she lived in Washington, she said she witnessed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents take people off the street and into custody. She recalled skipping doctors appointments for her pregnancy, fearing to leave the house and get detained.
“During all this process, I was seeing how immigrants were treated like they didn’t have rights,” she recalled.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, she said an Orange County government official failed to help immigrant communities by refusing to communicate in their preferred languages. Martinez Franco, a communications specialist who founded a multicultural public relations firm, was dumbfounded.
“I thought that if he did communications in Spanish or Vietnamese, he could have saved so many other communities,” she said.
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Find Out MoreThat mishandling of public health pushed Martinez Franco, who had previously earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations at Cal State Fullerton, to pursue a career in government. She enrolled at the USC Price School and earned her MPA in 2023.
“The research skills were the most important thing that I gained from the Price School,” Martinez Franco said. “Teaching me how to do research and where to find this kind of information, so I can present this information to my constituents, that was essential.”
While studying at USC Price, Martinez Franco volunteered for Irvine’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, where she championed inclusive city policies. The work prepared her to run for office – whenever the opportunity arose.
A Special Election
A major shakeup in Irvine politics gave Martinez Franco that chance. In 2024, Irvine residents voted to transition to a district council system, in which council members represent specific sections of Irvine, as opposed to representing the city as a whole. A special election last year gave District 5 voters the first chance to elect their own council member.
The new system not only helps ensure diverse representation in the city, where Latinos represent the third-largest demographic group, but also opens the door for candidates who don’t have the money to run more expensive, city-wide campaigns, Martinez Franco said.
Her campaign only spent about $20,000, she said. But with her skills in public relations, Martinez Franco managed her campaign’s social media, designed political mail ads herself, and knocked on countless doors. She defeated candidates who spent six figures on their campaigns.
Now in office, Martinez Franco said she wants to help lower-income communities, much like the ones she came from during her journey through America.
“We’re not just talking about homeless people. We’re talking about teachers, firefighters, police that cannot afford to live in Irvine,” she said.
“Irvine doesn’t have a lot of services for low-income families because they keep them ignoring that population,” she added. “We exist here in Irvine.”
