José Huizar
Encyclopedia
José Luis Huizar is an American
elected official and a member of the Los Angeles City Council
representing District 14
. He was elected on November 8, 2005 in a special election to fill the seat vacated by current Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
and was reelected to a full four-year term in March 2007. Huizar also serves on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(MTA) Board of Directors, which oversees transportation planning and operations for the County of Los Angeles, and chaired the Education Coordinating Council for the past five years—a multi-jurisdictional organization composed of school districts, cities, county departments, and the courts, which seeks to improve the educational outcomes for foster and probationary youth. In March 2011, Huizar was re-elected yet again to a full four-year term by an overwhelming margin.
. Huizar was elected to that position on April 10, 2001. Huizar served two terms as Board President from July 2003 through June 2005. As Board President, Huizar oversaw planning and implementation of the largest school construction program in United States history, which included 160 new schools. Education continues to play a role in his public life and he gives out awards and scholarships annually to deserving elementary, middle school and high school students in his district.
Prior to his service on the Board of Education, Huizar was an attorney in several law firms, a Deputy City Attorney in the Real Estate and Environmental Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, and an appointed member of the East Area Planning Commission.
Huizar was selected to serve on Board of Trustees of Princeton University
. He is the first Latino to serve on that Board. The Los Angeles Business Journal
named him one of the 25 figures in the Los Angeles Area that "stand out for their potential to shape lives" and Hispanic Business
magazine named him one of the “100 most influential Hispanics” in the United States.
Huizar is a naturalized American citizen, a native of the Mexican state of Zacatecas
. Huizar was raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East of Los Angeles and earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree from U.C. Berkeley
, a Master’s in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University
, and his Juris Doctor from UCLA
School of Law. He still lives in the community he has called home most of his life, the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, with his wife Richelle, their daughters Emilia and Isabella Rose, Aviana, and son Simon.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
elected official and a member of the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
representing District 14
Los Angeles City Council District 14
Los Angeles City Council District 14 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council. It is a primarily Latino district in Boyle Heights and Northeast Los Angeles...
. He was elected on November 8, 2005 in a special election to fill the seat vacated by current Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
and was reelected to a full four-year term in March 2007. Huizar also serves on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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...
(MTA) Board of Directors, which oversees transportation planning and operations for the County of Los Angeles, and chaired the Education Coordinating Council for the past five years—a multi-jurisdictional organization composed of school districts, cities, county departments, and the courts, which seeks to improve the educational outcomes for foster and probationary youth. In March 2011, Huizar was re-elected yet again to a full four-year term by an overwhelming margin.
Background
Previously, Huizar had served as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, representing the Second District of the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. Huizar was elected to that position on April 10, 2001. Huizar served two terms as Board President from July 2003 through June 2005. As Board President, Huizar oversaw planning and implementation of the largest school construction program in United States history, which included 160 new schools. Education continues to play a role in his public life and he gives out awards and scholarships annually to deserving elementary, middle school and high school students in his district.
Prior to his service on the Board of Education, Huizar was an attorney in several law firms, a Deputy City Attorney in the Real Estate and Environmental Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, and an appointed member of the East Area Planning Commission.
Huizar was selected to serve on Board of Trustees of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He is the first Latino to serve on that Board. The Los Angeles Business Journal
Los Angeles Business Journal
The Los Angeles Business Journal, established c. 1979, is a weekly newspaper in Los Angeles, California, which covers general business news. According to the journal's website, it has over 12,000 online subscribers, and a weekly print circulation of 30,000...
named him one of the 25 figures in the Los Angeles Area that "stand out for their potential to shape lives" and Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business, Inc. is a media company based in Goleta, California, in the United States of America. The firm was founded by Jesús Chavarría in 1979 and its publications are oriented towards Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs.-Publications:...
magazine named him one of the “100 most influential Hispanics” in the United States.
Huizar is a naturalized American citizen, a native of the Mexican state of Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
. Huizar was raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East of Los Angeles and earned his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from U.C. Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, a Master’s in Public Affairs and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and his Juris Doctor from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
School of Law. He still lives in the community he has called home most of his life, the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, with his wife Richelle, their daughters Emilia and Isabella Rose, Aviana, and son Simon.