At the age of 19, Robert Pullen-Miles moved from Oklahoma to California with $25 in his pocket in search of better opportunities. For a while it was rough – he did not have job and he did not have a permanent place to live. In fact, he spent many months sleeping on couches while temporarily staying at the home of friends.
In 2014, Robert Pullen-Miles won his Mayoral race and made history as Lawndale’s first African American Mayor. As a testament of delivering results for the people of Lawndale, he has been re-elected as Mayor twice with 100% of the vote. Prior to his historic election as Mayor, he was elected to serve three terms as Councilmember.
As a leader on economic development for the region, Pullen-Miles brought to the Mayor’s office a unique combination of government and private-sector experience that was needed to lead during difficult times. As Mayor, and Councilmember, he helped balance the city’s budget while protecting vital services with a focus on public safety, protecting our green open space, and improving our streets and roads.
As Mayor, he has been a strong supporter of local businesses and has been a leader in strengthening our regional and local economy. Due to his efforts, the region has attracted new retail stores and small businesses, which have boosted revenue for vital services and created good job opportunities for our families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was one of the first Mayors to author and successfully pass an ordinance prohibiting residential and commercial evictions.
In addition to serving his community as Mayor and Councilmember, Pullen-Miles is a community leader with a long record of volunteerism and partnership with local non-profits. As the President of the Centinela Youth Services, a non-profit organization based in Inglewood, he has championed programming focused on providing youth counseling, physical and mental health services, and juvenile restorative justice advocacy. His commitment to making sure our state invests in the next generation is unmatched. He proposed and successfully secured a $4 million dollar grant from the state for the construction of a new Youth Development Center in the City of Lawndale, which will provide a wide range of social and academic services for youth and families in the region.
As District Director for Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, Pullen-Miles was instrumental in helping the Assemblywoman accomplish her legislative goals: creating good paying jobs, establishing the task force to end child poverty, securing environmental justice, and the passage of the Young Child Tax Credit law that gives working parents an extra $1,000 in tax credit. He also led the office’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by organizing food drives and helping constituents access thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from EDD. His legislative experience is extensive having worked for four Members of the California Legislature, including Assemblymember Carl Washington, Senator Jenny Oropeza, then Senator now Congressmember Ted Lieu, and Assemblymember Autumn Burke.
Mayor Pullen-Miles and his wife Léna are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters.
