Fran Florez

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Frances Audrey Florez (born in Bakersfield, California, October 4, 1943)^[1] is an American politician from California and a member of the Democratic Party.

She is also the mother of Dean Florez, who represented the area (which includes Fresno, Tulare, Kern and Kings counties) in the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2002 and in the California State Senate from 2002 to 2010.

Florez is a past president of the Chamber of Commerce of Shafter, California. She won election to the Shafter City Council in 1996 and served there until 2006; she served as mayor (a council position) from 2004 to 2006.

Since 2002, she has been a member of the California High Speed Rail Authority, serving as chairman in 2005.

In 2008, she was the Democratic nominee for the 30th District in the state Assembly. The outgoing incumbent, Democrat Nicole Parra, had been feuding with Florez's son, Dean Florez, for years and consequently endorsed Fran Florez's Republican opponent, former Assistant California Highway Patrol Chief Danny Gilmore.^[1] In a mild surprise, Florez narrowly lost to Gilmore in the Democratic-leaning district.^[1]

In June 2010, Florez won the Democratic primary in the 30th Assembly District against Nicole Parra's father, Pete Parra. She faced Republican farmer David Valadao in the November general election. Valadao soundly defeated her by a 61% to 39% margin.

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