Edward Paul Hernández (born October 17, 1957) is an American politician who previously served in 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 ...

, he represented the 22nd Senate district, which includes the

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 ...

cities of

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

Azusa Azusa may refer to: Relating to California From a Native American language, likely Tongva ''Asuksagna:'' *Azusa, California, a city in the United States *Azusa Pacific University, a Christian-based institution in Azusa, California *Azusa Street Rev ...

Baldwin Park Baldwin Park may refer to: * Baldwin Park, California ** Baldwin Park (Metrolink station) in Baldwin Park, California * Baldwin Park, Florida, a neighborhood in Orlando, Florida * Baldwin Park, Missouri * A public park in Baldwin, Nassau County, ...

Covina Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley. The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city's slogan, "On ...

La Puente La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants of the ...

, San Gabriel, and

West Covina West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

. Prior to the 2014

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

, he represented the 24th Senate district. Hernandez is a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. An

optometrist Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

, he currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health. Prior to his election to the State Senate in 2010, he served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, representing the 57th Assembly district from 2006 until 2010. In 2016, Hernandez announced that he would run to replace

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. In the 2018 general election, Hernandez was defeated by former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary

Eleni Kounalakis Eleni Kounalakis (née Tsakopoulos; born March 3, 1966) is an American politician, businesswoman, and former diplomat serving as the 50th lieutenant governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elect ...

Personal life and career

Hernández, a grandson of immigrants is a native of

and he graduated from

Bassett High School Bassett High School is a comprehensive public high school in Bassett, Virginia, USA. The school currently enrolls about 1,200 students in grades 9–12. It is one of two public high schools operated by Henry County Schools. Opened in 1978, the ...

. Hernández earned his B.A. degree from

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

and he earned his O.D. degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. In 2000 and 2001, Hernández served as president of the California Optometric Association. Prior to serving in the Assembly, he was President of the California Board of Optometry. Hernández is married to Diane, also an optometrist. He has one daughter from that marriage, and one from a previous marriage. The Hernández family resides in

Legislative career

Hernández chaired the Senate Health Committee between 2011 and 2017. He was the primary author for various laws affecting healthcare which were passed and codified in the

California Health and Safety Code The California Health and Safety Code is the codification of general statutory law covering the subject areas of health and safety in the state of California. It is one of the 29 California Codes and was originally signed into law by the Governor ...

. He was also involved in implementing the federal

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

2010 election

Hernández with Monterey Park city officials in Oct 2015

In 2010, Hernández ran a successful campaign for the California State Senate, to represent the 22nd Senate district. He was reelected to the Senate in 2014, and was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2018.

SCA 5

Hernández authored and introduced

Senate Constitutional Amendment No.5 Senate Constitutional Amendment5 (SCA5) was introduced by California State Senator Edward Hernandez to the California State Senate on December3,2012. This initiative would ask voters to consider eliminating California Proposition 209's ban on the ...

(SCA5), which proposed an amendment to the Constitution of the State to repeal portions of

California 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 ...

, in order to allow the State of California to consider race in student admissions. It was passed in the California Senate on Jan. 30, 2014. Proposition 209 prohibits state government institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting, and public education. Proposition 209 is considered by others to be a proposition which has resulted in low minority enrollment, and to have been driven by racial divisions. However, following resistance from various citizen groups, including Asian American groups, Senator Hernandez withdrew his measure from consideration.

External links

Campaign website

Twitter

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References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Ed 1957 births 21st-century American politicians American optometrists American politicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Democratic Party California state senators California State University, Fullerton alumni Indiana State University alumni Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Living people People from Montebello, California People from West Covina, California Politicians from Los Angeles