Bill Miranda is set to release a new memoir about his life — including his journey to becoming the first Latino mayor of the City of Santa Clarita.
Miranda’s memoir, “A New Kind of Mayor,” details his journey from growing up in Harlem to representing the residents of Santa Clarita is set to be released early next month, with a launch celebration set for Oct. 16.
“I want people to know who I am, where I came from and how I got to be mayor,” Miranda said. “I think it’s a good example of how anyone from any background can succeed in life.”
Miranda said his election to the Santa Clarita City Council and later the position of mayor gave the many Latinos in Santa Clarita a voice.
“It’s a demographic that prior to my election was frankly starving for representation, and now we have a Latino mayor and assemblywoman and congressman,” Miranda said, referring to Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares and congressman Mike Garcia, who were both elected after Miranda won his seat on the city council. “Someone has to break the ground and start this positive flow of representation.”
Miranda’s book touches on many of his other unique experiences as well. The mayor grew up in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the 1950s, later serving in the air force and going on to become a business executive at multiple Fortune 500 companies.
“Unlike previous mayors I didn’t just read about the civil rights movement, I lived it,” Miranda said. “I didn’t just read about the Cold War, I was in the military during the Cold War. I came face to face with George Wallace, one of the biggest racists in the country.”
But he says that at its heart, the memoir is a love letter to his wife Virginia, detailing how they met and their lives together.
“What people don’t know unless they really delve into it is that it’s a love story,” Miranda said. “I talk about my wife and how we lasted in marriage for 47 years.”
Ultimately, Miranda hopes to inspire young people to continue to fight to overcome the obstacles they face.
“There’s always a way to be successful, and success is an individual thing,” Miranda said. “For me success is to be spiritually happy, family happy and community happy — and I have all three of those things.”
To learn more about Miranda’s book, check out the website.
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