Who is María José Catalá, mayor of Valencia?

María José Catalá Verdet was born in Valencia in 1981. According to theobjective.com (14 April 2026), the near-only source for the family details that follow, she grew up in Torrent in a Catholic family with ties to the Grau district, her father a former port labourer who rose to a management role. The same source reports she has a sister, Sonsoles Catalá, a journalist turned political adviser.

She studied law, then earned a doctorate in public law from the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, obtained in March 2017 with the highest distinction (cum laude). She also holds an MBA.

Her political path first took her to the Valencian Generalitat, where she served as regional councillor for Education, Culture and Sport under president Alberto Fabra, from 2012 to 2015. She has been a regional MP (Corts) since 2011. On 17 June 2023, she became mayor of Valencia.

According to Valencia Plaza (16 January 2021), her interests include the oboe, cinema (Woody Allen, Star Trek), basketball and the novels of Santiago Posteguillo. She summed up her relationship with the city in a line reported by El Español on 20 April 2026: "Valencia siempre ha sido una meta para mí, no una vía para escalar políticamente" ("Valencia has always been a destination for me, never a rung to climb politically").

Among recent developments, the 2026 municipal budget stands at 1,250.9 million euros, aimed at rebuilding the flood-hit pedanías, public housing, security and cleanliness. On 18 July 2026, she was named the PP's candidate for the 2027 municipal elections, according to El Español.

According to theobjective.com (14 April 2026), a single source at this stage, an anti-corruption prosecutor's investigation was opened targeting her and several councillors over alleged misuse of office and influence peddling linked to two appointments at the Port of Valencia. This information rests on that one source alone to date.

Photo credit: photo by Nacho Fraile / Gppvlc (2023), CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, Wikimedia Commons.