California State SenateCandidate for District 33

 

Senator Lena A. Gonzalez was elected to the State Senate to represent the 33rd District in June of 2019. Growing up in a working-class family where her father was a truck driver and her mother, an immigrant from Mexico who works in aerospace, Senator Gonzalez learned the value of hard work and dedication. Prior to being elected to the Senate,Gonzalez served on the Long Beach City Council from 2014-2019. On the Council, Gonzalez championed policies such as:    -Foam Free LB (Citywide Styrofoam ban)  -LB Business First (local business prioritization program) -Digital Inclusion Roadmap -LB Justice Fund (support for undocumented residents) -Park Equtiy Plan (pushing for programs in the North/Westside of the City)  -LGBTQ Business Inclusion Policy (making LB the first in CA) among many more...   Gonzalez also worked in the private sector for Microsoft, leading civic engagement investments for the Los Angeles region. Her focus was on expanding diversity and inclusion in the tech sector by providing grants to non-profit organizations and digital skills programs for underserved communities, to include: unemployed adults seeking job training and creating career pathways for youth, especially supporting young girls of color in STEM.   In the Senate, Gonzalez prioritizes creating economic opportunity for all families and children in SD 33. Gonzalez led legislation that tackled the Digital Divide, as well as an act related to ensuring Californians living with HIV were not discriminated against during life & disability income insurance underwriting. She will continue promoting quality education at all levels, affordable housing and homelessness, climate change policies and ensuring every Californian has access to quality healthcare - especially during this crisis. Senator Gonzalez sits on the Senate Health, Judiciary and Transportation Committees as well as the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. She is Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ports & Goods Movement and Chair of the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response.   Senator Gonzalez lives in Long Beach with her husband Adam and their three sons Zorion, Ethan and Luca. Gonzalez graduated with her B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Long Beach and MBA from Loyola Marymount University.