First Filipina Assemblymember in CA Filed a Dozen Bills

LOS ANGELES – Only three months after being sworn in to office, Assemblymember

Jessica Caloza, the first ever Filipina elected to California State Legislature, has already

introduced a dozen of critical legislation to address the challenges facing California.

Caloza, an immigrant and a proud daughter of working-class parents, has filed

Assembly Bill (AB) 262: California Individual Assistance Act; AB 265: Small Business

and Nonprofit Recovery Fund Act; AB 546: Clean Air for All-Insurance Coverage

Requirements; AB 553: Calfresh- Expanding Food Access; AB 591: Disaster

Preparedness-Mutual Aid in Public Works.

Taking oath of office in December 2, 2024, the other bills introduced by Caloza include:

AB 616: CA State Parks Pass Program from Libraries; AB 654: Unhoused Resident

Support-3 Digit Number for L.A. County; AB 672: Safeguarding Workers’ Rights-Public

Employees; AB 700: State Student Loan Relief Program; AB 995: Lowering the Cost of

Rebuilding After a Disaster; AB 995: Improving Clean Water Standards; and AB 1252:

New State Park-Elephant Hill/Northeast Los Angeles.

“What you have is my commitment to representing you in the Assembly as someone

who is going to work really hard for you,” Caloza said, during a community swearing-in

ceremony last month. Caloza represents District 52 which includes the southern portion

of Glendale, Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Silver Lake,

Echo Park, Atwater Village, Lincoln Heights, Loz Feliz, East Hollywood, Cypress Park,

Elysian Valley, Monterey Hills, Hermon, Montecito Heights, El Sereno and Unincorporated

East Los Angeles. There are more than 13,000 Filipino-American in this district.

Caloza, a graduate of the University of California-San Diego,  had worked for President

Obama helping underfunded public schools get more resources.

In 2019, Caloza was also the first Filipino-American to serve in the Board of Public

Works overseeing more than 5,500 employees. As L.A. Public Works Commissioner,

she expanded good-paying union jobs, raised wages for workers and required equal

pay for women while increasing transparency and accountability. 

Prior to her appointment in the city’s Public Works office, Caloza served as Mayor Eric

Garcetti’s Director of Scheduling since 2017, overseeing the Mayor’s entire scheduling

operation — including strategic planning, day-to-day logistics, and coordination with

various Departments and agencies.

She also served as Deputy Director of Scheduling, and came to the Mayor’s Executive

Office from the Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she helped lead the City's immigration

policy, grant programs, and civic engagement initiatives focused on expanding access

to resources for immigrant communities.

Before seeking a post in the state assembly, she worked as California Attorney General

Rob Bonta’s Deputy Chief of Staff where she assisted Bonta in his bid to reduce crime

and gun violence, take bold action to protect the environment, and helped victims of

sexual assault receive justice.

Photo Souce: Jesica Caloza.com, Derek Humprey