Artesia, California Makes History By Electing Its First Muslim, Taj Ali Sajjad Lahori Punjabi, Pakistani, Council member as Mayor

I plan to make a difference to the Artesia residents

Artesia, California, Dec. 25 2016
NRIpress.club/Sunita Patel/Gary Singh

Ali Sajjad Taj, 47, financial analyst, city’s first Pakistani-American who served Artesia City Council member since December 2013, was elected Mayor of Artesia on December 12, 2016.

Artesia City, 20 miles southeast Los Angeles, California, total area of 1.6 square miles, known as ‘Little India’ on Pioneer Blvd, Southern California, is the bustling commercial hub (with more than 120 Indian stores out of 156 stores) of the Indian community in Southern California, according to  Ramesh Patel, a well known entrepreneur of California.  If you’re looking for all things Indian, Pioneer Boulevard including  Cottage Art, a colorful little shop that’s packed from floor to ceiling with gorgeous furniture, fabrics, tapestries, pillows, linens imported from India, eyebrow threading, Buffets, boutiques, jewelry, beauty parlors, grocery, sweets, appliance stores, Attorneys, Movies, Fashion & much more. Indian restaurants offer South Indian Pongal, Dosa, North Indian Paneer Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Punjabi Masala Curries and Gujarati Thalis ..much more

There are three Hindu temples - Sanathan Dharma Temple, Radha Krishna Mandir and Swaminarayan Mandir on Pioneer Blvd and one Gurdwara one mile away  from India Bazar.

The city has a 2010 census population of 16.5 thousand, surrounded on the west, south, and east sides by Cerritos, with Norwalk to the north. Artesia had a median household income over $59,845, with 13.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line
The other racial are  39.0% white (21.3% Non-Hispanic White), 3.6%  African American, 0.6%) Native American, 37.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander.  Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.8%.
NRIs (Asian Indians) made up only 7.9% of the population of Artesia in the 2010 Census, now estimated around 10%  but no Councilmember or Mayor

Artesia is the home of the East West Ice Palace and was also the childhood home of former First Lady Pat Nixon, who lived there from 1914 to 1931, though the property on which she grew up is now part of neighboring Cerritos.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Portuguese farmers developed Artesia into one of the most important dairy districts in Southern California. One of the more familiar Historical landmarks in the city is the Artesia water tower.

Ali Sajjad Taj's campaign for mayor was focused on healing and unifying Artesia, as well as addressing the importance of investing in education, healthcare, low-income communities and criminal justice reform. He has supported improved lighting, street quality and traffic safety, while being an Mayor Pro Tem/ Council Member for bringing new businesses to the City both to generate revenue for City and to provide new amenities for residents.

Paratha Grill Invites NRIs to its official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony	Lions Club of Little India 13th Annual Installation Ceremony
Artesia, California Sep 02, 1015 On Sep.01, 2015, Artesia Mayor Miguel Canales, Lima Tony-City Councilmember, Taj Ali Sajjad -City Councilmember and friends of Gurpal Singh, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of PARATHA GRILL at 18383 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, California….CLICK HERE	Los Angeles, July 17, 2014 NRIpress-Club A gala event was organized by Lions Club of Little India for Club’s 13th installation ceremony... , CA on July 10th, 2014.... CLICK HERE

Ali Sajjad Taj got Master in Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

• December 2015 – Present (1 year 1 month)Artesia, CA----Mayor Pro Tem, City of Artesia
• November 2013 – December 2015 (2 years 2 months)City of Artesia- City Council Member, City of Artesia
• 2011 – Present (5 years) Newport Beach, CA. US--- Consultant with Hedge Fund
• 2010 – 2011 (1 year)Thousand Oaks-----Financial Consultant, TD
• 2009 – 2010 (1 year)Fresno, California----Managing Principal, Waddell & Reed
• January 2004 – December 2008 (5 years)Corona, CA.---- Field Vice President,  Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
• 2002 – 2004 (2 years)Riverside, CA----- Manager. American Express
• 2000 – 2002 (2 years)Irvine, CA-----Financial Advisor /Coach,  American Express

He was representing the City as a member of several regional Boards and Committees. He serves on the Public Safety Policy Committee of the League of California Cities.

• He is a member of the Board of Directors of the League of California Cities
• He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Eco-Rapid Transit Orange Line Development Authority of Los Angeles County, and serves the Executive Committee in the capacity of Internal Auditor.
• He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the League of California Cities, serving as a Director at Large.
• He is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority

Taj Ali Sajjad was born and grew up in Lahore. He attended high school at The British School of the Netherlands, which is in The Hague. Ali moved to USA in 1990.

• Taj  can speak Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi but also learned Dutch, French and German when he was in Europe.
• He was raised in Islam and went to a Catholic school in Pakistan.

What People Say

All of the incredible feedback from our great listeners is what gives us the energy and motivation to keep doing what we do every day.

• "Taj introduced himself to its voters by going door to door to speak with residents, sometimes making three or four visits to a residence,” said Gurpal Sood, a well known realtor and owner of few businesses on Pioneer.
• Ali Sajjad Taj , a soft-spoken man, introduced to multiple religions as a youth, and said he attends services at different churches in the Artesia area.
• “Taj Ali will be a model for other Communities, especially NRI Community which  has been divided by some NRI leaders who have no followers but fighting each other all the time,“ an entrepreneur, Sam Patel said.
• One shopkeeper requested not to mention his name, said, “This is shame for NRI business community that there is no Indian business association  in pioneer which can help each other or community services or to involve in political system who can recognize us. We are too greedy and selfish.”
• Taj's campaign slogan, “Going back to basics,” which describes his vision to boost infrastructure and support small business in this diverse city in Southern California. ....Louis Peter

Interestingly, NRIpress crew also noticed that whenever we sent him text message or called him, he would response immidiately by text, or called or requested for call later on specific time.