By: Melissa Masatani
A La Puente girl was recognized Monday by state officials after completing seven marathons on seven continents.
The California Latino Legislative Caucus honored 12-year-old Blanca Ramirez at the 14th annual Latino Spirit Awards Ceremony. Blanca received the Dynamic Youth Award.
By: Melanie Maso
Latino lawmakers, who have increasingly flexed their muscle as a voting bloc in the Capitol, endorsed a slate of proposals Wednesday that includes efforts to increase voter registration and promote clean energy.
The package underscores how the lawmakers are broadening their focus from core issues such as immigration to economic and environmental policies as well.
By: Jeremy White
If not for a supportive cousin, Tony Thurmond might have ended up like the kids he’s made a career of helping instead of becoming a state assemblyman from Richmond.
Thurmond’s mother died when he was six, and the trauma of serving in Vietnam had led his father to “basically never come home,” Thurmond said. Rather than slip into the foster care system, Thurmond moved from San Jose to Philadelphia to be raised by a cousin who he says “basically saved my life.”
By Paul Chacon
Peter Chacon served in the California State Legislature from 1970 until his retirement in 1992 representing the urban core of San Diego. Upon his election, he became only the second Latino legislator elected to State of California public office in the past (100) years. Together with Alex Garcia, they formed the California Latino Legislative Caucus with a membership of just two.
By: Elaine Woo
Former state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala, a scrappy Democrat from Chino who fought for a controversial water project and helped create the California Conservation Corps during a legislative career that ran for 24 years until term limits forced him out, died of natural causes Wednesday in Ontario. He was 89.
His death was confirmed by his son Maurice.
By: Jeremy B. White
One month after California began offering driver’s licenses to immigrants in the state illegally, tens of thousands have received licenses and seven times as many took driving tests.
Years of effort by immigrant advocates culminated on Jan. 2, when immigrants became eligible to begin driving legally under a 2013 law. The California Department of Motor Vehicles estimated 1.4 million people would apply over the course of three years, though questions about how many would step forward persisted.
By: Dan Walters
There are two dozen Latinos in the California Legislature today, including Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, but when Pete Chacon unexpectedly won a seat in the state Assembly 44 years ago, he became one of only two.
Not only was it unusual for a Latino to be a legislator in 1970, but Chacon did it the hard way. He took a leave of absence from his teaching job, sold his house to raise funds and campaigned for a year to unseat a seemingly secure incumbent in a San Diego district that was just 8 percent Latino in makeup.
By Maria E. Garcia
The general public knew Peter Chacón as a California State Assemblyman who served from 1970-1992. Very few know or understand what Pete’s election meant to the Latino community.
From the time I was a small child I remember my parents going inside a building to vote. They would take turns voting as we sat in the car. One parent would go inside to vote while the other parent would care for us. Then the reverse would occur. Voting was always a special activity and in many ways a mystery.
By: Melody Gutierrez & Nanette Asimov
Thousands of people living in the country without documentation formed long lines at motor vehicle offices across California to be among the first to apply for driver’s licenses under a law that went into effect Friday.
Rocelio Nicolas of Gilroy showed up at 3:30 a.m. He was first in line at the San Jose license processing center — one of four temporary centers opened by the Department of Motor Vehicles to deal with the surge of applicants.
