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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 297 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 297

   Honoring the life, achievements, and legacy of Gloria Molina, the 
 first Latina elected to the California State Legislature, Los Angeles 
       City Council, and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 13, 2023

 Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Honoring the life, achievements, and legacy of Gloria Molina, the 
 first Latina elected to the California State Legislature, Los Angeles 
       City Council, and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Whereas Gloria Molina was born on May 31, 1948, in Montebello, California, to 
        Leonard Molina and Concepcion Molina, who immigrated from Casa Grandes, 
        Chihuahua, Mexico;
Whereas Gloria Molina was the oldest of 10 siblings and assisted her parents in 
        raising her siblings;
Whereas Gloria Molina graduated from El Rancho High School in 1966, and attended 
        Rio Hondo Community College, East Los Angeles Community College, and 
        California State University, Los Angeles;
Whereas Gloria Molina's activism was sparked by the Chicano movement and passion 
        for women's empowerment;
Whereas Gloria Molina began her advocacy advancing health care and political 
        access for Latinas as President of Comision Feminil Mexicana National;
Whereas, before being elected to public office, Gloria Molina volunteered for 
        President Carter's campaign office in California in 1975, and later 
        served as a staffing specialist in the White House Office of 
        Presidential Personnel;
Whereas, in 1979, Gloria Molina served as the Director of Intergovernmental and 
        Congressional Affairs for the region IX office of the United States 
        Department of Health and Human Services;
Whereas Gloria Molina was elected to the California State Assembly from the 56th 
        Assembly District in 1982, where she combined passionate advocacy with 
        formidable political skill to strengthen communities in the 56th 
        Assembly District and statewide, and served until her 1987 election to 
        the Los Angeles City Council;
Whereas Gloria Molina was the first ever Latina elected to, and only the third 
        person of Mexican ancestry to serve on, the Los Angeles City Council in 
        1987;
Whereas, in 1991, after decades of gerrymandering that excluded Latino 
        representation on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Gloria 
        Molina was elected as the first Latina to serve as a Los Angeles County 
        Supervisor;
Whereas Gloria Molina served honorably for 23 years, representing a district 
        that stretched from Koreatown, Pico-Union, and East Los Angeles, all the 
        way east to Pomona and included much of the San Gabriel Valley;
Whereas Gloria Molina became renowned during her service as a County Supervisor 
        as a fiscal watchdog committed to overseeing good government reforms, 
        maintenance of the county's public health care system, and quality-of-
        life issues for the millions of county residents living in 
        unincorporated Los Angeles County;
Whereas, throughout her career, Gloria Molina served on various boards, 
        including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund 
        (MALDEF), the Southwest Voter Education and Registration Project, the 
        National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), 
        and the California Community Foundation;
Whereas Gloria Molina also served for over 10 years as 1 of 4 Vice Chairs of the 
        Democratic National Committee (DNC);
Whereas Gloria Molina, a strong advocate for the arts and the celebration of 
        Mexican American culture, traditions, and history, in 2011 established 
        LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles, and in 2014, the 
        Eastside Arts Initiative to support community-based arts organizations, 
        including CASA 0101 and Self-Help Graphics;
Whereas Gloria Molina, a master quilter and artist, formed the East LA Stitchers 
        (TELAS) to inspire Latinas to express their culture through this art 
        form;
Whereas Gloria Molina was a champion for social justice and fought tirelessly 
        for the most vulnerable Angelenos, from fighting against a plan to build 
        a prison in the Eastside to helping grow the public transportation 
        system and ending the forced sterilizations of women at General Hospital 
        in Los Angeles;
Whereas, throughout a distinguished career, Gloria Molina touched the lives of 
        countless people and will have her life and legacy preserved in Los 
        Angeles;
Whereas the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of 
        Directors voted to dedicate the East Los Angeles Civic Center station in 
        Gloria Molina's name;
Whereas the CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights designated its main theater as 
        the ``Gloria Molina Auditorium'' in honor of Gloria Molina's donations 
        to Latino arts in the Southland area of Los Angeles;
Whereas the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to 
        rename Grand Park the ``Gloria Molina Grand Park'' commemorating Gloria 
        Molina's service to Los Angeles;
Whereas the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion to rename a portion of the 
        Observation Deck in the Tom Bradley Tower which overlooks Grand Park, as 
        the ``Gloria Molina Observation deck''; and
Whereas Gloria Molina passed away on May 14, 2023, at the age of 74 after 
        battling cancer for 3 years: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and loved 
        ones of Gloria Molina of Mount Washington, California, in their 
        bereavement; and
            (2) recognizes and celebrates Gloria Molina's historic 32-
        year political career and the series of firsts that inspired 
        generations of women and Latinos to seek public office, being 
        the first Latina Assembly Member in California, the first 
        Latina on the Los Angeles City Council, and the first Latina on 
        the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.
                                 <all>
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