Forty-one years ago, Ursula Kennedy was elected the first female mayor of Tustin.
Now, there’s an effort by representatives and community members underway to honor her legacy with a post office dedication.
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills, has introduced legislation in Congress to rename the Tustin post office, located at 340 East 1st St., the “Ursula Ellen Kennedy Post Office Building.”
Kim said the name change would honor the service that Kennedy provided to Tustin as its first elected female council member and mayor.
“At a time when women were expected to stay at home, Ursula challenged societal limits, defied odds time and time again and showed that women and girls can do anything we set our minds to,” Kim said.
“She was always doing something,” daughter Kathleen Kennedy said. “Even when she wasn’t on City Council. She was a very gifted person.”
Kennedy became the first woman elected to the Tustin City Council in 1978. Patricia Sutcliff was the first woman to join the City Council after she was appointed to fill a vacant seat in 1975.
“She decided to run for office because she thought she could do as good or better a job than what was happening,” Kathleen Kennedy said. “She wanted to make some improvements to the city.”
Kennedy served on the City Council for 12 years, until 1990. She was selected by the City Council to serve as the city’s first female mayor in 1984 and again in 1988.
Since Kennedy’s election to the council, there have only been six other women on the dais in Tustin, former Councilmember Rebecca Gomez said.
“She was really a role model for all of the female candidates to the Tustin City Council,” Gomez, the state director for the American Association of University Women, said. “We all kind of saw her guidance and support when we ran.”
During her time on the dais, Kennedy was a key player in the planning and building of the Tustin Senior Center. Alongside other advocates on the council, Kennedy created the Senior Center Steering Committee to choose a location, fundraise and construct the center.
And in 1989, the Tustin Area Senior Center opened.
“Seniors in our world are frequently not given their due and taken well care of, so I think that was important to her and in our society,” Kathleen Kennedy said.
Kennedy also advocated for the return of the Planning Commission, which was disbanded by the Council in 1977. The commission was reinstated in 1982, with five Tustin residents appointed to review and suggest changes to the Council’s city plans.
Kennedy also played a large role in the development of East Tustin, now known as Tustin Ranch, Gomez said.
And in between her duties as Tustin’s mayor, Kennedy found time to attend Western State College of Law, graduating in 1986.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, on Dec. 4, 1936, Kennedy’s family moved to San Diego when she was just 3 years old. She attended San Diego State University, where she met her husband, Wiley Kennedy, in 1955, according to her obituary.
Their relationship progressed quickly while Kennedy took a break from school. After their marriage, the two moved to Berkeley, where Wiley continued his education. They had three children, Ursula Ann, Kathleen and Wiley III.
In 1970, the family moved to Tustin. Kennedy began writing, publishing over 500 articles in a local newspaper and a collection of essays within the decade. She completed her education at Cal State Fullerton and began getting involved in politics.
After her tenure on the City Council, Kennedy worked as a lawyer for the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
Kennedy died on Sept. 4, 2024, at the age of 87.
The Kennedy family is thrilled about the bill and the chance that the Tustin post office will be named after their mom, Kathleen Kennedy said.
“My mom would also hope that it would inspire, especially women, but inspire anybody to take a part in their local land and bigger governments,” Kathleen Kennedy said. “Good people need to step forward, especially in hard times, and do the right thing. It’s not always easy, but it’s important.”
The bill has seven cosponsors from California’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana. Post office designations are typically voted on concurrently and by unanimous consent in both the House and Senate.
Before introducing the bill, Kim surveyed Tustin representatives and council members for people who had a positive impact on the city. Multiple people mentioned Ursula Kennedy’s name, Kathleen Kennedy said.