Sarmiento for Santa Ana City Council – Ward 2
Sandra Peña Sarmiento is a native Santa Ana resident. She grew up in Ward 2 and still resides there with her husband, writer/humorist Victor Payan, retired mother Marty, and a family of chihuahuas. Sandra has taught video & silent cinema to youth across the country for over a decade and is currently getting certified to become a foster parent to Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. Providing children and families with tools and opportunities to succeed has been her lifelong passion.
Biography
Sandra Peña Sarmiento is an award-winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist. She aired her first music video on MTV in the late 1980’s, followed by a stint in Europe studying Art History.
Sandra completed BA’s at UC San Diego in Visual Arts and Sociology, showcasing her video art in museums and film festivals. In the early 90’s she adopted the moniker “Pocha Peña” while an MFA student at UCLA’s School of Film & TV, soon embarking on a decade of producing Spanish-language shows and promos for Latino networks.
In the late ‘90s, Sarmiento published her “Pocha Manifesto” in Jump Cut film journal, moving on to curate and direct film festivals in L.A., San Diego and Texas. Pocha has penned stories for La Opinion, Tu Cuidad Magazine, and a feature film screenplay. After associate-producing hit a LGBT feature in 2006 (East Side Story),Sarmiento returned her creative focus to writing, indie video and staging live performance interventions.
She is an alumna of the 2009 San Antonio Creative Capital Professional Development Program, received the 2010 Idea Fund via the Andy Warhol Foundation, and founded a multicultural film festival in Orange County, the OC Film Fiesta. Sarmiento currently teaches video in her hometown of Santa Ana, California, where she serves as Chair of the Arts & Culture Commission.
Community Service:
Restarted the dormant Eastside Neighborhood Association with the help of neighbor leaders. Currently provides content & manages the Eastside Neighborhood Association Facebook page and announcements on Next Door, Santa Ana, CA, 2015 – Present.
Co-Founded this grassroots artists collective to work against artist displacement, advocate for a city arts commission, funding resources and professional development for local artists. Currently provides content & manages the “UA Santa Ana” Facebook organizational page and the “United Artists of Santa Ana” member page, Santa Ana, CA, 2012 – Present.
Communications Consultant, Web Architect and Social Media manager for the Save Our Centro Coalition. Helped negotiate the end of the 7-year Boycott on the Centro Cultural de La Raza located in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, 2005-2007.
Helped broker the release of UCLA students hunger-striking for a Chicano Studies Dept. Sandra solicited international fine artist Gronk to donate a painting exceeding the value of campus damages ($30,000) which enabled the UC Regents to drop all charges and not expel striking students, Los Angeles, CA, 1993.
Participation in Marches & Community Actions:
- May Day March in Santa Ana, CA, 2015.
- Anti-SB 1070 Immigrant Rights March in Phoenix, AZ, 2010.
- Martin Luther King Day March in San Antonio, TX, 2006.
- May 1st March on the Border in San Diego, CA, 2006.
- Democratic National Convention Protest in Los Angeles, CA, 2000.
- Private Aids Ride Fundraiser organizer & host in downtown Los Angeles, CA, 1998.
- Republican National Convention Art Action “The Velvet Republicans” in San Diego, CA, 1996.
- Anti-Gulf War Protest in San Diego, CA, 1991.
- American Peace Test at the Nevada Test Site, NV, 1988.
Civic Recognitions & Honors:
City of Santa Ana recognitions -Various, presented by Santa Ana City Council, 2009 – 2016.
Woman of the Year, 46th Congressional District, presented by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, 2014.
National Conflict Resolution Center Peace Award – Member of the resolution team that ended the 7-year Boycott on the Centro Cultural de La Raza, presented by the Mayor of San Diego, 2008.
Hi-Res Photos
