Carol Jean Liu (born September 12, 1941) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who is a former member member of the
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, she represented
Senate District 25, which includes portions of the
San Fernando
San Fernando may refer to:
People
*Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia
Places Argentina
*San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...
and
San Gabriel Valley
The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...
s.
Before being elected to the State Senate, Liu served in the
State Assembly
State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government.
Channel Islands
States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...
representing the
44th Assembly District until 2006. In 2008, Liu was elected to succeed the termed-out
Jack Scott in the State Senate.
Early life and career
Liu was born in 1941 in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. Her mother was a fourth generation Californian, and her father was a Chinese immigrant.
Liu graduated from
San Jose State College
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
with a B.A. in 1963.
Liu taught junior high and senior high school-level history in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
cities of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and
El Cerrito, California from 1964 until 1978. She also served as executive director of the Richmond Federation of Teachers from 1975 to 1978.
In 1982, Liu completed a teaching and administrative credential at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
.
Political career
Before serving in the Senate, Liu served in the
State Assembly
State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government.
Channel Islands
States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...
. Prior to the Assembly, Liu served on the city council of
La Cañada Flintridge
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
, a small city in the
Cresenta Valley near
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
, from 1992 until 2000, including two terms as its mayor.
In the 2008 primary election for the California Senate seat, she initially faced opposition from former Assembly Majority Leader
Dario Frommer
Dario J. Frommer (born October 22, 1963, in Long Beach, California) is a former member of the California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the Califor ...
. However, Frommer decided to drop out before the election.
Legislation
Among her major accomplishments in the Senate has been the enactment of Senate Bill 110, the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 2010. Passed unanimously by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bill assures that abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and elders are treated as crimes.
Senator Liu'
SB 42 (2015) – Postsecondary Education Goalsbill coordinates California's Higher Education segments (U.C. and C.S.U.), but it was vetoed by Governor
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
.
Senator Liu voted in favor of
California Senate Constitutional Amendment No.5.
The proposed bill would have asked California voters to consider repealing provisions of
Proposition 209
Proposition 209 (also known as the California Civil Rights Initiative or CCRI) is a California ballot proposition which, upon approval in November 1996, amended the state constitution to prohibit state governmental institutions from considering r ...
, thus permitting state universities to consider an applicant's race, ethnicity or national origin in making admissions decisions. The proposed amendment resulted in controversy. In a Facebook response,
Liu indicated that
California Proposition 209 set "outdated barriers" to groups of "underrepresented students eligible for U.C. and C.S.U." and that their enrollment "has not kept pace with the proportion of the high school graduating class they now represent." Senator Liu, along with former senators
Leland Yee and
Ted Lieu
Ted W. Lieu (; born March 29, 1969) is an American politician and Air Force Reserve Command colonel who has represented California's 33rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015. The district includes much of weste ...
, who had also voted for the bill, ultimately issued a joint statement calling for the bill to be withheld pending further consultations with the "affected communities."
[André Coleman & Kevin Uhrich, "A Giant Awakens" ''Pasadena Weekly'']
Mar. 12, 2014
Personal life
Liu is married to
Michael Peevey, who was appointed to the
California Public Utilities Commission by Governor
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
, and later was named president of the Commission by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
, where he served until retiring in 2014.
They have three children and four grandchildren.
References
External links
*
California Archive Carol LiuJoin California Carol Liu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Carol
Democratic Party California state senators
Politicians from Greater Los Angeles
Women state legislators in California
1941 births
Living people
American mayors of Chinese descent
California politicians of Chinese descent
American school administrators
Schoolteachers from California
American women educators
American women of Chinese descent in politics
Women mayors of places in California
California city council members
Women city councillors in California
Mayors of places in California
Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
People from La Cañada Flintridge, California
Politicians from Berkeley, California
Politicians from Oakland, California
San Jose State University alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
University of California, Berkeley faculty
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Asian-American city council members