Mendoza was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States when she was eight, moving to Grandview.
[2][3] In 1999, she was invited to join local politics but decided to focus on her new business, GMC Training Institute.
[1][4] In December 2018, mayor Norm Childress resigned to join the Yakima County Commission and Mendoza was appointed by the council to fill the remainder of the term.
[1][5][6] In 2023, Mendoza ran for reelection, the first time against a challenger, against Ashley Lara, a former aide to Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler.
[11] She faced two challengers in the primary, Democrat Chelsea Dimas and Republican Andy Kallinen.