Assemblymember Ricardo Lara

Assembly Member Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) was elected with 78% of the vote in November 2010 to represent the 50th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Commerce, Cudahy, Lynwood and South Gate, as well as portions of Walnut Park, Downey and Florence-Graham.

Raised in a blue collar immigrant family in East Los Angeles, Ricardo knows first- hand the challenges facing the cities and communities of Southeast Los Angeles County. He is fervently committed to improving the quality of life for working families in California.

California Assembly Speaker, John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), appointed Ricardo as Chairman of the powerful Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC). As Chair of JLAC, Ricardo is committed to ensuring the effective and efficient management of taxpayer money and programs, focusing on strong ethical oversight over public funds. Ricardo also serves in the important Appropriations Committee as well as the committees on Banking and Finance, Higher Education, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife.

A steadfast advocate for educational equity, Ricardo worked on numerous legislative initiatives prior to being elected to serve in the Assembly. These include bringing additional resources for English language learner students; worked on legislation to create fair university admission policies, as well as the passage of the landmark Assembly Bill (AB) 540, making college education more affordable for immigrant students by allowing them to pay in-state tuition at California's Colleges and Universities.

In his first term in office, Ricardo is wasting no time in introducing key legislation to create jobs and fulfill our commitment to free public education for all children. Ricardo's first bill, AB 32 supports economic gardening as an innovative economic development model that embraces entrepreneurship as a driving force for job creation and growth in communities throughout the state.

AB 165 will help identify, eliminate and prevent the charging of illegal student fees in violation of a student's constitutional right to a free public education, putting an end to the establishment of a two tier educational system by requiring a district or school in violation of this guarantee to fully reimburse the family with interest for illegal fees or face a penalty.

Ricardo's commitment to working families is also reflected in his service on the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) Board of Directors and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project. PIQE creates partnerships between parents, students and educators to further students' academic success and Ricardo plans to promote policies to ensure a continued investment in parent involved, including more tools and resources for limited English proficient parents. As a current board member of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project, Ricardo is committed to protecting and expanding the quality and affordability of healthcare services for working families.

Aside from his work in the Assembly, Ricardo also served as a member of the Los Angeles County's Consumer Affairs Commission working on ways to help protect the public from identity theft and predatory lending. A major part of his work on the commission focused on preventing scam artists from preying upon seniors, college students and immigrants.

Ricardo is a proud alumnus of LAUSD schools and earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Spanish, and a minor in Chicano/a Studies at San Diego State University. He is also working on his Master of Arts Degree in Leadership from the University of Southern California.

Visit Assemblymember Ricardo Lara's website: http://asmdc.org/members/a50/