Denny Chan, Councilmember

Councilmember Ivette Peña is an attorney who recently retired as the Chief Legal Officer for the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles after 25 years of service. In that capacity, she advised the Court on legal, policy, and ethics issues pertaining to the Court’s authority and obligations, its operations, facilities, and its 582 judicial officers and nearly 5,000 employees. She also managed more than 240 professionals in the Court’s Legal Services Division. Councilmember Peña previously worked at a law firm that represented school districts and community colleges and at a plaintiff side civil rights firm.

Councilmember Peña currently serves on the California Board of Directors for the Green Dot Public Schools and on the Workplace Conduct Unit Panel for the Office of Legislative Counsel. She was a member of the Judicial Council Court Interpreter Advisory Panel and the Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force. She was president of the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA) and was a member of its Board of Directors from 2008-2015. Councilmember Peña was also president of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association and served on its Board of Directors from 2009-2015.

Councilmember Peña received her law degree from Harvard Law School and her undergraduate degrees in Economics and Urban Studies from Brown University. She is a native of Puerto Rico.

Councilmember Peña was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 14, 2026, to serve the remainder of a four-year term expiring on December 31, 2028.