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Sergio Robles

Field representative for Congressman Ami Bera, Elk Grove Planning Commissioner, Specialist, California National Guard

This story is part of our July 2022 Young Professionals print issue. To subscribe, click here.

This story is part of our July 2022 Young Professionals print issue. Click here to subscribe.

Sergio Robles says he found his calling early in life as a student representative, but it was a walk in Washington, D.C. that helped bring him home. 

“I really love helping people,” says Robles, as he describes his path from supporting fellow students at Sacramento’s Hiram Johnson High School to helping people across south Sacramento and Elk Grove. Robles’ love of serving the community through politics took him to the University of California, Northridge and then to Washington D.C. as an intern working at the Mexican Embassy.

It was in Washington. that he made his own break. While walking along Capitol Mall one morning he noticed Congressman Ami Bera walking on the other side. He crossed over and engaged the Sacramento-area representative in conversation. Bera convinced Robles that he could serve better in California, not Washington. 

Now back living in Elk Grove and serving the south Sacramento region, Robles admits there was a lot to learn through helping his home community. “Being in the district, you know, you learn it’s all about people,” Robles says. From organizing tree plantings to listening to the concerns of residents, Robles says he’s not only Bera’s eyes and ears in the district, but also building his own understanding, should he be blessed with shaping national policy in the future. 

“My military service is the opportunity to serve my community in the face of natural disasters.”

Sergio Robles, field representative for Congressman Ami Bera, Elk Grove Planning Commissioner, Specialist, California National Guard

Robles, 29, is already shaping policy through his role on the Elk Grove planning commission. When he was appointed, he was the youngest of 16 applicants. Despite his relative lack of experience, Robles has strived to be a voice for young professionals and often asks how to make Elk Grove more hospitable for people early in their careers. 

As planning commissioners, Robles and the other members don’t create developments to their liking from the ground up, but work with developers to help shape their projects. Robles points to an innovative developer who added spaces for business startups to his storage unit project to help fill two city needs in one project. 

Robles also serves in the California National Guard, volunteers for the Elk Grove Food Bank Services and is a member of the Sacramento Tree Foundation Neighborhoods Committee.  

His job with the California Army National Guard is with Army human resources, with his unit responsible for ensuring troops stay ready to respond to local, state or international issues. Robles says he has a continued desire to help others. 

“I have been able to do so both as a mentor to students who may be growing up with the same hardships I did. … My military service is the opportunity to serve my community in the face of natural disasters and other dangers.”

When he’s not working to improve or protect our community, he likes to stay fit by doing CrossFit at Galvanize in south Sacramento and golfing at courses throughout the region.

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