Jenny Oropeza
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Oropeza (September 27, 1957 — October 20, 2010) was the California State Senator
for the 28th district which includes the cities of Carson
, El Segundo
, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach
, Redondo Beach
, and Torrance
; the Los Angeles communities of Cheviot Hills, Bel Air, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Lennox
, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey
, Palms, Playa del Rey, Rancho Park, San Pedro
, West Los Angeles, Westchester, Wilmington and Venice; and part of the city of Long Beach
.
Oropeza was elected to her first term in the California State Senate
in November 2006 and garnered 62 percent of the vote. Oropeza died less than two weeks before the November 2, 2010 election
, in which she had been expected to easily win reelection. Her name remained on the ballot in the 28th Senate District. Oropeza posthumously won reelection on November 3, 2010.
She served in the California State Assembly
for six years prior (2000–2006) to her time in the Senate. Oropeza ran for California's 37th Congressional seat in a June 2007 special election
following the death of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald
but lost the primary to Laura Richardson
. Oropeza and Tom Mullins married in August of 1977.
. During that time, she was appointed by the governor to the Board of Trustees of the CSU
system.
member of the Long Beach City Council and won re-election in 1998. As an MTA
board member from 1996 through 2000, Oropeza represented the southeast cities of Los Angeles County and served on MTA's Planning and Programming and Construction committees. While with the MTA, she also chaired the Goods Movement Committee of the Southern California Association of Governments.
from 2000 to 2006 for District 55. In January 2002, with barely a year's experience in the Assembly, Oropeza was named chair of the Assembly Budget Committee — on the eve of the worst deficit in California history. She served two years. From 2004 to 2006, Oropeza chaired the Assembly Transportation Committee.
She was Vice Chair of the dual-house Latino Caucus. In 2005, the League of California City's Latino Caucus named her Legislator of the Year; in 2006, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters
awarded her the Smith-Weiss Environmental Champion Award for her work on issues from air pollution and cancer prevention to radiation and environmental advocacy. She had long supported transportation improvements, including Proposition 42 in 2002, which sought to dedicate a portion of gasoline taxes toward construction.
. Oropeza was endorsed by the California Democratic Party
and the California League of Conservation Voters
. Nakano was endorsed by Congresswoman Jane Harman
and California Assemblyman Ted Lieu
. Oropeza captured 52.8% of the vote to Nakano's 47.2%.
and Asian Pacific Affairs. In addition, she was a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Oversight and Bonded Indebtedness, the Senate Subcommittee on California Ports and Goods Movement, as well as the Streamlined Sales Tax Project board of governance and the Commission on the Status of Women. As one of 26 Latinos in the Legislature, Oropeza chaired the California Latino Caucus Policy Committee on Environmental Justice.
to contact the owners of unclaimed property (SB 920). She introduced legislation in the areas of local sales, massage therapy, teacher credentials, and air pollution in ports.
for difficulty breathing, but later died there the evening of October 20, 2011. She had been undergoing treatment for a blood clot in her abdomen since May 2010.
As a tribute to the late Senator Jenny Oropeza’s dedication to fostering protections for key California-state public health programs, the Los Angeles County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in joint collaboration with the six other California-based Komen Affiliates (“the California Collaborative”), established the Senator Jenny Oropeza Public Policy Internship position.
The City of Long Beach named the community center in Cesar E. Chavez Park the Jenny Oropeza Community Center. On December 8, the Los Angeles Unified School District will dedicate the Jenny Oropeza Global Studies Academy. The Academy is one of four academies at the Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School.
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
for the 28th district which includes the cities of Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, El Segundo
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
, Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
, and Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
; the Los Angeles communities of Cheviot Hills, Bel Air, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Lennox
Lennox, California
Lennox is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 22,753 at the 2010 census, down from 22,950 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey, California
-Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile...
, Palms, Playa del Rey, Rancho Park, San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
, West Los Angeles, Westchester, Wilmington and Venice; and part of the city of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
Oropeza was elected to her first term in the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
in November 2006 and garnered 62 percent of the vote. Oropeza died less than two weeks before the November 2, 2010 election
California State Senate elections, 2010
The 2010 California State State elections were held on November 2, 2010. Voters in the 20 even-numbered districts of the California State Senate voted for their representatives. Other elections were also held on November 2. No seats changed parties in this election.- Overview :- Results :The 2010...
, in which she had been expected to easily win reelection. Her name remained on the ballot in the 28th Senate District. Oropeza posthumously won reelection on November 3, 2010.
She served in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
for six years prior (2000–2006) to her time in the Senate. Oropeza ran for California's 37th Congressional seat in a June 2007 special election
California's 37th congressional district special election, 2007
California's 37th congressional district special election, 2007 was held on August 21, 2007 to replace the seat of Congresswomen Juanita Millender-McDonald, who died of cancer on April 22, 2007. California State Assemblymember Laura Richardson received the plurality of votes in an open primary...
following the death of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald
Juanita Millender-McDonald
Juanita Millender-McDonald was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007, representing California's 37th congressional district, which includes most of South Central Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach, California...
but lost the primary to Laura Richardson
Laura Richardson
Laura Richardson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district encompasses the inland section of Long Beach, Carson, Compton and Signal Hill, as well as parts of other municipalities.She previously represented the 55th district in the...
. Oropeza and Tom Mullins married in August of 1977.
Education
Oropeza attended Alhambra High School and California State University, Long Beach. She began her career in public service by serving two terms as student body president while majoring in Business Administration at California State University, Long BeachCalifornia State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
. During that time, she was appointed by the governor to the Board of Trustees of the CSU
CSU
The acronym CSU may refer to:*Constant speed unit - a mechanical device on an aircraft propeller that regulates engine speed by automatically changing pitch.*Concordia Student Union*Channel Service Unit - a WAN equivalent of a network interface card....
system.
Early political career
Oropeza was a member of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education from 1988 to 1994. In 1994, she was elected the first LatinaLatina
Latina is the feminine form of the term Latino.Latina may also refer to:*Province of Latina, a province in Latium , Italy**Latina, Lazio, the capital of the province of Latina**Latina Nuclear Power Plant*Latina , a district of Madrid...
member of the Long Beach City Council and won re-election in 1998. As an MTA
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
board member from 1996 through 2000, Oropeza represented the southeast cities of Los Angeles County and served on MTA's Planning and Programming and Construction committees. While with the MTA, she also chaired the Goods Movement Committee of the Southern California Association of Governments.
Assembly member
Oropeza was a member of the California State AssemblyCalifornia State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from 2000 to 2006 for District 55. In January 2002, with barely a year's experience in the Assembly, Oropeza was named chair of the Assembly Budget Committee — on the eve of the worst deficit in California history. She served two years. From 2004 to 2006, Oropeza chaired the Assembly Transportation Committee.
She was Vice Chair of the dual-house Latino Caucus. In 2005, the League of California City's Latino Caucus named her Legislator of the Year; in 2006, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...
awarded her the Smith-Weiss Environmental Champion Award for her work on issues from air pollution and cancer prevention to radiation and environmental advocacy. She had long supported transportation improvements, including Proposition 42 in 2002, which sought to dedicate a portion of gasoline taxes toward construction.
Run for the State Senate
On June 6, 2006, Oropeza won a very close Democratic primary against former Assembly member George NakanoGeorge Nakano
George Nakano served as a California State Assemblyman from 1998 until 2004. During his time in the Assembly, Nakano was chosen to serve as the chairman of the Democratic caucus. In 2006, Nakano sought the State Senate seat of his Assembly predecessor, Debra Bowen, who was running for the...
. Oropeza was endorsed by the California Democratic Party
California Democratic Party
The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California, headquartered in Sacramento. It is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton, who succeeded Art Torres in April 2009. It is the majority...
and the California League of Conservation Voters
California League of Conservation Voters
The California League of Conservation Voters is a nonpartisan lobbying and educational organization which focuses on environmental issues affecting California....
. Nakano was endorsed by Congresswoman Jane Harman
Jane Harman
Jane Margaret Lakes Harman is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1993 to 1999, and from 2001 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party....
and California Assemblyman Ted Lieu
Ted Lieu
Ted W. Lieu is a Democratic Party California State Senator, who has represented the 28th Senate District since February 18, 2011, after being elected to fill the seat of deceased Senator Jenny Oropeza...
. Oropeza captured 52.8% of the vote to Nakano's 47.2%.
Committees and caucuses
Oropeza chaired the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and was a member of the Appropriations; Transportation; and Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committees. She also chaired the select committees on Integrity of Elections and Public Health and the Environment and was a member of the Select Committees on the Alameda CorridorAlameda Corridor
The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street...
and Asian Pacific Affairs. In addition, she was a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Fiscal Oversight and Bonded Indebtedness, the Senate Subcommittee on California Ports and Goods Movement, as well as the Streamlined Sales Tax Project board of governance and the Commission on the Status of Women. As one of 26 Latinos in the Legislature, Oropeza chaired the California Latino Caucus Policy Committee on Environmental Justice.
Legislation
Upon election to the State Senate, Oropeza introduced 24 bills. The policy areas ranged from preventing smoking in cars while minors are present (SB 7) to increasing the efforts of the California State ControllerCalifornia State Controller
The State Controller is the Chief Financial Officer of the State of California in the United States. The post has broader responsibilities and authority than the California State Treasurer...
to contact the owners of unclaimed property (SB 920). She introduced legislation in the areas of local sales, massage therapy, teacher credentials, and air pollution in ports.
Health and Death
Oropeza was admitted to Long Beach Memorial Medical CenterLong Beach Memorial Medical Center
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center is a hospital in Long Beach, California.It was established as Seaside Hospital in 1907. Incorporated as Seaside Memorial Hospital on June 23, 1937...
for difficulty breathing, but later died there the evening of October 20, 2011. She had been undergoing treatment for a blood clot in her abdomen since May 2010.
Posthumous Honors
Since her death, Oropeza has been honored by the Democratic Women's Study Club in Long Beach, which posthumously awarded her the Political Leadership Award, which will in future years be called the Jenny Oropeza Political Leadership Award. Centro CHA in Long Beach posthumously awarded Oropeza the Create Change Community Service Excellence Award, which will in future years be called the Create Change: Jenny Oropeza Community Service Excellence Award. The Long Beach Lambda Democratic Club created the Jenny Oropeza Ally of the Year Award, which like the other two awards, was first given in 2011.As a tribute to the late Senator Jenny Oropeza’s dedication to fostering protections for key California-state public health programs, the Los Angeles County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in joint collaboration with the six other California-based Komen Affiliates (“the California Collaborative”), established the Senator Jenny Oropeza Public Policy Internship position.
The City of Long Beach named the community center in Cesar E. Chavez Park the Jenny Oropeza Community Center. On December 8, the Los Angeles Unified School District will dedicate the Jenny Oropeza Global Studies Academy. The Academy is one of four academies at the Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School.
External links
- Archived version of Oropeza's official senate webpage
- Biography from the 2007 campaign for Congress preserved at smartvoter.org