Caroline Menjivar is an American politician and
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
veteran. She has served as a 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 ...
since 2022. 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 represents the
20th district. She became the first LGBTQ legislator to represent
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
.
Early life
Menjivar's parents were immigrants from El Salvador, who moved to the United States during the
country's civil war and met at
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The family moved to the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
, where Menjivar was born and raised. She attended Encino Charter Elementary School. Her mother worked as a house cleaner and her father was a waiter at a country club in
Studio City
Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...
. They later opened a car dealership. When she was 14, Menjivar began working as a cashier at a restaurant. She graduated from
Reseda High School
Reseda Charter High School (RCHS), established in 1955, is located in the Reseda section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. In the fall of 2018, the school became a charter and is now Reseda Charter Hig ...
. Her family was evicted from their home when she was 18, as a result of the
2008 financial crash
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
.
Menjivar applied for a position with the
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...
but was rejected and instead joined the
U. S. Marine Corps, serving between 2009 and 2016, at a time when "
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...
" was in operation. She then began working as an
EMT while earning her bachelor's degree in sociology from
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
. While working for the
Los Angeles Mayor
The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of California, all j ...
's Gender Equity Office as a
David Bohnett Fellow. She received a masters of social welfare from the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. After graduating, she worked for former Los Angeles Councilwoman
Nury Martinez
Nury Martinez (born July 9, 1973) is a Mexican-American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 6th district from 2013 until her resignation in 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Martinez became president o ...
as a field deputy and for former Los Angeles mayor
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 Los An ...
where, as the East Valley representative, she organized the first LGBTQ+ Pride Car Parade in San Fernando Valley.
Political career
Menjivar decided to run for the
20th district 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 ...
in the
2022 state elections. She ran against Daniel Hertzberg, the son of the previous senator for the area,
Robert Hertzberg
Robert Myles Hertzberg is an American politician who previously served in the California State Senate. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat he represented the California's 18th State Senate district, 18th Senate District, which includes pa ...
, who was endorsed by the legislature's LGBTQ caucus. Menjivar faced criticism during the election after an
audio recording of her former boss, Martinez, making racist statements was leaked.
She was endorsed in the election by state senator
Henry Stern, Los Angeles County Supervisor
Sheila Kuehl
Sheila James Kuehl (born February 9, 1941) is an American politician and retired actress, and served as the member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 3rd District and as board chair and chair pro tem. Kuehl was California's ...
, the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats,
California Environmental Voters and the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''.
In the primary election on June 7, 2022, Menjivar received 29.76% of the vote, coming in second place behind Hertzberg, who received 30.82%.
She won the general election with 58.46% of the vote and was sworn in to the state senate on December 5, 2022.
She became the first LGBTQ legislator to represent San Fernando Valley.
She was appointed to the senate's budget subcommittee #3 on health and human services, and other committees focusing on health, human services and veterans affairs.
Personal life
Menjivar is married to Jocelyn Tapia, a marriage and family therapist.
She is a member of the board of directors for the Los Angeles chapter of
GLSEN
GLSEN (pronounced ''glisten''; formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expres ...
.
References
External links
Official websiteCaroline Menjivarat
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...
Campaign website
Living people
LGBT people from California
Democratic Party California state senators
LGBT state legislators in California
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American politicians
People from Panorama City, Los Angeles
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menjivar, Caroline