Lena Gonzalez

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Lena Gonzalez
Lena Gonzalez.jpg
Member of the California State Senate
from the 33rd district
Assumed office
June 12, 2019
Preceded byRicardo Lara
Long Beach City Councilmember
from the 1st District
In office
July 15, 2014 – June 12, 2019
Preceded byRobert Garcia
Succeeded byMary Zendejas
Personal details
Born (1981-01-26) January 26, 1981 (age 41)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Adam
Children3
Residence(s)Long Beach, California
Alma materCalifornia State University, Long Beach (B.A.)
Loyola Marymount University (MBA)

Lena Adriana Gonzalez (born January 26, 1981) is an American politician serving in the California State Senate.[1] She was first elected to the State Senate to represent the 33rd District[2] in a special election in June 2019[3] and was subsequently re-elected in the November 3, 2020 general election for her first full 4-year term. As State Senator, she represents nearly 1 million residents in Southeast Los Angeles,[4] Signal Hill,[5] portions of South Los Angeles[6] and Lakewood,[7] and her hometown of Long Beach.[8]

Personal life and education[]

Senator Gonzalez is the daughter of a union truck driver father and mother who immigrated from Aguascalientes, Mexico. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Cal State Long Beach[9] and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.[10] She lives in Long Beach[8] with her husband Adam and their three sons Zorion, Ethan and Luca.[11]

Early Work and City Council[]

Prior to her time in the Senate, Gonzalez worked for Microsoft[12] where she led social impact programs on digital skills, the future of work and criminal justice reform.[13] She spearheaded efforts to expand diversity and inclusion in the tech sector and to promote programs for underserved communities, such as supports for young girls of color in STEM.[14]  

Simultaneously with her work in the private sector, she served[15] on the Long Beach City Council[16] from 2014 to 2019, representing 50,000 residents in Downtown Long Beach,[17] including the Port of Long Beach.[18] She served the city for a decade, both as an elected official and former staff member.

California State Senate[]

In the Senate, Gonzalez currently is a member of the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response,[19] Energy, Utilities and Communications,[20] Environmental Quality,[21] Judiciary[22] and Health[23] committees. In addition, she was recently appointed as the new Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee,[24] becoming the first Latina(o) to ever serve in this capacity and the only woman to serve in the last 20 years. On February 12, 2021, Senator Gonzalez was also appointed as Majority Whip,[25] one of seven Democratic leadership positions in the California Senate.

In 2020, Senator Gonzalez chaired a newly formed bipartisan committee of eleven senators that was tasked with reviewing the state's response to the COVID-19 health crisis. In her time as chair of the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response,[19] Gonzalez led a series of hearings to inform and strengthen the strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, covering topics such as testing and contact tracing, workplace health and safety issues and K-12[26] distance learning.

Legislation[]

Senator Gonzalez's first bill, SB 1255 “The Equal Insurance HIV Act” [27] was signed into law on September 26, 2020. The new law prohibits life and disability income insurance companies from denying coverage to HIV-positive individuals solely based on their HIV status.

At the beginning of the 2020-2021 legislative session, Senator Gonzalez introduced Senate Bill 4 “The Broadband for All Act”[28] to help close the digital divide. She has introduced over a dozen new measures[29] for the 2020-2021 legislative session.

References[]

  1. ^ , Wikipedia, March 26, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  2. ^ "Census profile: State Senate District 33, CA". Census Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "33rd state Senate District election: Lena Gonzalez is running unopposed". Press Telegram. March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  4. ^ , Wikipedia, February 26, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  5. ^ , Wikipedia, February 22, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  6. ^ , Wikipedia, April 6, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  7. ^ , Wikipedia, January 28, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  8. ^ a b , Wikipedia, April 5, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  9. ^ Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard Long; California 90840 562.985.4111. "California State University, Long Beach". California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  10. ^ University, Loyola Marymount. "Loyola Marymount University". www.lmu.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "Lena Gonzalez". Wonder Women Tech. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  12. ^ , Wikipedia, April 6, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  13. ^ , Wikipedia, February 15, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  14. ^ , Wikipedia, April 4, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  15. ^ "Long Beach City Councilwoman Heading to State Senate After Beating GOP Opponent". KTLA. June 5, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "Officials". www.longbeach.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  17. ^ , Wikipedia, February 19, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  18. ^ , Wikipedia, March 11, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  19. ^ a b "Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response | California State Senate". www.senate.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  20. ^ "Welcome to the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications | Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee". seuc.senate.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  21. ^ "Welcome to the Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality | Senate Environmental Quality Committee". senv.senate.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  22. ^ "Welcome to the Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary | Senate Judiciary Committee". sjud.senate.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Senate Committee on Health | Senate Health Committee". shea.senate.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  24. ^ dPrimeramano (December 16, 2020). "Sen. Lena Gonzalez Becomes First Latina to Be Appointed Chair of the California State Senate Transportation Committee in Over 50 years". dPrimera Mano (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  25. ^ Saltzgaver, Harry. "Long Beach's Senator Lena Gonzalez Part Of Democratic Party Leadership". www.Gazettes.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  26. ^ , Wikipedia, April 1, 2021, retrieved April 6, 2021
  27. ^ "Governor Newsom Signs "The Equal Insurance HIV Act" Enacting Anti-discrimination Protections in State Law". Equality California. September 26, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  28. ^ "Bill Text - SB-4 Communications: California Advanced Services Fund". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  29. ^ "2021 Legislation". Senator Lena A. Gonzalez. February 18, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.

External links[]

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