Grace Montanez Davis was born in the Lincoln Heights community of Los Angeles in 1926; she attended Albion elementary school in the same community, then transferred to Sacred Heart elementary, continuing on to Sacred Heart high school. She continued her education at Immaculate Heart College, where she graduated with a BS, after which she enrolled at UCLA for graduate work and received an MS in microbiology. It was during her UCLA attendance that she was able to attend political lectures and meet political activists. In 1952, she married Raymond Davis, another political activist. Her personal activism resulted in wider recognition and she began working for politicians (starting with congressman George E. Brown in the early 1960s) and on political programs, resulting in Mayor Bradley's recruitment of her in the 1970s as Director for Human Services in his administration. In 1975, she became Deputy Mayor and kept the job until 1990. As of the time of this oral history, she was retired, but still active politically.
From the description of Oral history interview with Grace Montanez Davis, Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, 1975-1990 oral history transcript, 1994 / [interviewed] by Phillip C. Castruita. [1994?] (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 53471278
