Gloria Molina

Gloria Molina
Gloria Molina, 1997
Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from District 1
Incumbent
Assumed office  1991
Preceded by	Peter F. Schabarum
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Ron Martinez
Children	Valentina
Residence	Los Angeles
Website	http://molina.lacounty.gov

Jesus Gloria Molina (born May 31, 1948)^[1] is an American politician, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.^[2]

Background and career

Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, United States, to a Mexican-American father and Mexican mother. She attended public schools in her hometown, and attended Rio Hondo College, East Los Angeles College and California State University, Los Angeles. While attending college, she worked full time as a legal secretary. Then she became certified as an adult education instructor and taught clerical skills at the East Los Angeles Skills Center.

She was first elected to office in 1982 as State Assemblywoman for the 56th District. In 1987, she was elected to the Los Angeles City Council where she served as the Councilwoman of the First District until 1991. In February 1991, she was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, representing the First Supervisorial District. Ms. Molina is the first Latina in history to be elected to the California State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Prior to being elected to public office, Molina served in the Carter White House as a Deputy for Presidential Personnel. After leaving the White House, she served in San Francisco as a Deputy Director for the Department of Health and Human Services.

One of Molina's significant achievements was her involvement with the Mothers of East Los Angeles, a group formed to organize against a proposed plan to build a prison in the barrio of East LA. As city councilwoman, she found government unresponsive to her concerns of yet another proposal to build a prison near schools in the predominantly Chicano and Mexican neighborhood.

In April 2006, Molina was honored as the "Hispanic Business Woman of the Year" by Hispanic Business magazine.

Controversy

In April 2008, Molina introduced legislation to the Board of Supervisors which would severely increase penalties on food vendors in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including East L.A. The new rules would punish parking of a food truck for more than 1 hour with a $1000 fine and/or six months in jail. This move is specifically targeted at vendors operating taco trucks, a cultural institution in East L.A. as well as the county as a whole.

Newspaper editorials decried the move, and a petition was quickly set up to attempt to force a repeal of the legislation. The taco vendors have also hired a lawyer to fight their cause. ^[3][4]

The popular shock jock Tom Leykis brought the Taco Truck Issue up in the 4 o'clock hour on 8/29/08. Asking owners of large flat areas in Los Angeles to contact him so he could host a Taco Truck Party for all Taco Truck owners and listeners of his show to come to.

Personal

Molina is married to Ron Martinez, a businessman. They have one daughter, Valentina Gloria Molina Martinez.

See also

• NALEO

References

External links

• Gloria Molina - County of Los Angeles Website

  v • d • e County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Gloria Molina, 1st Dist. · Mark Ridley-Thomas, 2nd Dist. · Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd Dist. · Don Knabe, 4th Dist. · Michael D. Antonovich, 5th Dist. Departments CEO · Coroner · District Attorney · Fire · Health Services · Probation · Public Library · Public Safety · Public Works · Sheriff's · Superior Court Airports Fox Field · Brackett Field  · Whiteman Airport  · Compton/Woodley Airport · El Monte Airport County Hospitals LAC-USC General Hospital · Harbor-UCLA Medical Center · Martin L. King Jr.-Harbor Hospital · Olive View-UCLA Medical Center · Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Culture Ahmanson Theatre · Arboretum and Botanic Garden · Dorothy Chandler Pavilion · Descanso Gardens · Walt Disney Concert Hall · La Brea Tar Pits · Music Center · Natural History Museum · Museum of Art · South Coast Botanic Garden · Mark Taper Forum · Whittier Narrows Others LAC Sheriff's Air Rescue 5 · LACMTA · Seal · Sheriff's Dept. Officers Killed in Line of Duty

  
  

  Political offices
  Preceded by Peter F. Schabarum	Los Angeles County Supervisor 1st district 1991 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent
  Preceded by Howard Finn	Los Angeles City Councilwoman 1st district 1987—1991	Succeeded by Mike Hernandez
  Preceded by Art Torres	California State Assemblywoman 56th District 1982–1985	Succeeded by Lucille Roybal-Allard