Tony Mendoza (politician)
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Antonio Mendoza (born April 22, 1971) 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 ...
who served in the California State Senate. 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 32nd Senate District, which encompasses
Buena Park Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 m ...
and the
Gateway Cities The Gateway Cities Region, or Southeast Los Angeles County (also shortened to Southeast Los Angeles and Southeast LA) is an urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, between the City of Los Angeles proper, Orange ...
of Los Angeles County. In January 2018, the State Senate voted to suspend him for 60 days to investigate allegations of sexual harassment. He could not vote on legislation during that period, while contesting the suspension. Before a vote for expulsion was to be taken by the State Senate due to the released findings of an investigation that determined he likely engaged in a pattern of unwanted advances and sexually suggestive behavior toward six women, including four subordinates, over the last decade, Mendoza resigned on February 22, 2018. He was a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2014, Mendoza served in the California State Assembly, representing the 56th Assembly District. Before his service in the
Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
, Mendoza was a fourth grade teacher in East Los Angeles, and served as a Mayor and City Councilmember in Artesia. After resigning from the State Senate, in 2019 he was appointed as the general manager of the Artesia Cemetery, one of the few publicly owned and operated cemeteries in California.


Career

After receiving his bachelor's degree in Political Science: Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach and his Multiple Subject Bilingual Teaching Credential from California State University, Los Angeles, Mendoza taught elementary school for ten years in East Los Angeles. During his teaching years with the Los Angeles Unified School District, Mendoza served as a member of the board of directors with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and as a representative with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA). In 1997, Mendoza ran a grassroots campaign in his hometown of Artesia as a candidate for city council. His platform of securing Artesia neighborhoods from gangs resonated with the community, and Mendoza became the youngest, and first Latino member, of the Artesia city council, and the youngest to serve as mayor at the age of 26. Mendoza served three terms on the Artesia city council before running for the State Assembly in 2006. Mendoza represented the communities of Artesia, Buena Park, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Whittier, Lakewood, Los Nietos, and South Whittier.


Legislative Accomplishments

Mendoza authored several bills that were signed and adopted into law while serving in the Assembly, including bills that dealt with health, public safety and the environment. AB 97 made California the first state in the nation to ban the use of
trans fat Trans fat, also called trans-unsaturated fatty acids, or trans fatty acids, is a type of unsaturated fat that naturally occurs in small amounts in meat and milk fat. It became widely produced as an unintentional byproduct in the industrial pr ...
s in food preparation in all California restaurants, cafeterias and bakeries. AB 1291 helped parents take a lead role in the life of their child; the child who has been charged and convicted of a first-time gang related offense can jointly enroll with his or her parent or parents in anti-gang courses to prevent further involvement in gang activities. AB 1488 required smog checks for lightweight diesel vehicles to ensure they are running clean. Mendoza's 2018 legislation was a mix of education, consumer and employment bills. AB 63 protects consumers by requiring retailers who issue a service contract or extended warranty to maintain a copy on file for the life of the contract, and make it available to a consumer within 10 days of request. AB 943 would end the practice of using a person's credit report as a part of the hiring process with the exception of positions that deal with large sums of cash or expensive property. AB 857 would place highly trained individuals from the Employment Development Department (EDD) in local EDD centers to work face-to-face with individuals on their unemployment benefits. This bill also would hire an additional 800 people to serve in call centers. The bill used no state money to fund the program, but instead allocated federal dollars to maintain the level of service to help those transitioning.


Community work

In 2008, Mendoza launched the Young Legislators, a student program which put high school seniors from throughout the 56th Assembly District in real-life political scenarios. The program's goal is to teach high school seniors about the political world. Seniors who qualify take part in an eight-month program that introduces them to local, regional and statewide office holders who share their perspectives on various issues, and explain their role in the political process. Young Legislators conclude their studies by participating in a mock legislative session in Sacramento in which they deliver and deliberate on legislative bills they have designed and introduced.


Controversies


Suspicious contributions

The California Fair Political Practices Commission launched an investigation after a series of contributions was made by Tony Mendoza and Assembly Candidate Tony Bermudez. "Latino Caucus Chairman Assembly Member Tony Mendoza, acting on his own accord and without input from Members of the Latino Caucus, provided a recommendation to transfer $50,000 from Yes We Can, an Independent Expenditure Committee (IEC), to another IEC prior to his resignation as Chair of the Caucus. The funds have since been transferred numerous times and have been used to support candidates who are not endorsed by the Latino Caucus. As the current Chair of the Latino Caucus, I do not condone or support his actions", said Ricardo Lara, D-South Gate. Bob Stern, former president of the Center for Governmental Studies, the principal co-author of the California Political Reform Act and the Fair Political Practices Commission's first general counsel, said the transactions look "very suspicious, but there could be explanations." "Money laundering is the most serious of campaign violations," Stern said, noting that money laundering is used to both skirt campaign contribution limits and conceal contributors."


Allegations of sexual harassment

In November 2017, Mendoza was accused of inviting a young female staffer to his residence in Sacramento. In February 2018, leaders of the State Assembly publicly released the findings of an investigation that determined he likely engaged in a pattern of unwanted advances and sexually suggestive behavior toward six women, including four subordinates, over the last decade. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León introduced Senate Resolution 85, which cites the house's zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy and the results of the investigation as grounds to expel Mendoza. Before the Senate could take a vote for expulsion, Mendoza resigned from his position.http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article201577959.html


Personal life

Assemblyman Mendoza grew up in South Central Los Angeles. He is the first in his family of nine children to graduate from college. He received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach. He received his teaching credential from
Cal State Los Angeles Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...
. Mendoza and his wife Leticia live in Artesia and have two daughters and two sons.


References


External links

*
Tony Mendoza FacebookTony Mendoza TwitterTony Mendoza Youtube Channel
* ttp://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/6453 Join California Tony Mendoza {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Tony Democratic Party California state senators California city council members Mayors of places in California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly 1971 births Living people Politicians from Los Angeles American Federation of Teachers people California State University, Long Beach alumni Schoolteachers from California Hispanic and Latino American mayors in California Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California National Education Association people People from Artesia, California 21st-century American politicians