[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING MS. JACKIE ZARATE-ROBERTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NORMA J. TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2017

  Mrs. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Jackie Zarate-
Roberts on the occasion of her retirement from a lifetime of civic 
service to the Latino community of the City of Los Angeles.
  Ms. Zarate-Roberts began her journey in Los Angeles at the University 
of Southern California, where she graduated with a Master's Degree in 
Public Administration in 1984. Her career in the City of Los Angeles 
started as a Junior Administrative Assistant in the Personnel 
Department's Examining Division. This was just the beginning, as she 
quickly rose through the ranks, eventually ending in the Selection 
Division. At one point, she was the Assistant Director of the Fire 
Commission's Equal Employment Opportunity Office, serving as a Sexual 
Harassment Counselor for employees of the LA Fire Department.
  Concurrently, Ms. Zarate-Roberts actively engaged in efforts to 
assist the Latino community through her membership in the Los Angeles 
City Employees Chicano Association (LACECA), where her track record 
here is just as impressive. In her first year, she was quickly 
appointed to the Executive Board as Recording Secretary and over the 
years she has served as Executive Secretary, Treasurer, 1st and 2nd 
Vice President, and President several times--the first Latina to ever 
hold this position, I may add.
  Her passion is portrayed through her active participation in voter 
registration drives, redistricting committees in support of Latino 
issues, scholarship fundraisers, among others. As a former 911 
dispatcher, I saw firsthand the power of her commitment to the LACECA. 
She was instrumental in the return of bi-lingual pay to the City's 911 
Operators along with improving training, working conditions, and 
increasing the number of bi-lingual operator positions serving the 
city. Much of this was accomplished by serving on Mayor Bradley's and 
Reardon's ``Presidents Roundtable on Affirmative Action'', where she 
met monthly to advocate for the underrepresentation of minorities and 
women in the work force.
  For all of the aforementioned Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to 
recognize a true community icon on the House floor today: Ms. Jackie 
Zarate-Roberts. Her unmatched commitment to the City of Los Angeles 
since 1984 and the innumerable contributions she has made to the 
greater Latino community will reverberate for generations to come and 
our community is better of because of it.

                          ____________________