[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2465-S2466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 297--HONORING THE LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND LEGACY OF 
    GLORIA MOLINA, THE FIRST LATINA ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE 
LEGISLATURE, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL, AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF 
                              SUPERVISORS

  Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 297

       Whereas Gloria Molina was born on May 31, 1948, in 
     Montebello, California, to Leonard Molina and Concepcion 
     Molina, who immigrated from Casa Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico;
       Whereas Gloria Molina was the oldest of 10 siblings and 
     assisted her parents in raising her siblings;
       Whereas Gloria Molina graduated from El Rancho High School 
     in 1966, and attended Rio Hondo Community College, East Los 
     Angeles Community College, and California State University, 
     Los Angeles;
       Whereas Gloria Molina's activism was sparked by the Chicano 
     movement and passion for women's empowerment;
       Whereas Gloria Molina began her advocacy advancing health 
     care and political access for Latinas as President of 
     Comision Feminil Mexicana National;
       Whereas, before being elected to public office, Gloria 
     Molina volunteered for President Carter's campaign office in 
     California in 1975, and later served as a staffing specialist 
     in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel;
       Whereas, in 1979, Gloria Molina served as the Director of 
     Intergovernmental and Congressional Affairs for the region IX 
     office of the United States Department of Health and Human 
     Services;
       Whereas Gloria Molina was elected to the California State 
     Assembly from the 56th Assembly District in 1982, where she 
     combined passionate advocacy with formidable political skill 
     to strengthen communities in the 56th Assembly District and 
     statewide, and served until her 1987 election to the Los 
     Angeles City Council;
       Whereas Gloria Molina was the first ever Latina elected to, 
     and only the third person of Mexican ancestry to serve on, 
     the Los Angeles City Council in 1987;
       Whereas, in 1991, after decades of gerrymandering that 
     excluded Latino representation on the Los Angeles County 
     Board of Supervisors, Gloria Molina was elected as the first 
     Latina to serve as a Los Angeles County Supervisor;
       Whereas Gloria Molina served honorably for 23 years, 
     representing a district that stretched from Koreatown, Pico-
     Union, and East Los Angeles, all the way east to Pomona and 
     included much of the San Gabriel Valley;
       Whereas Gloria Molina became renowned during her service as 
     a County Supervisor as a fiscal watchdog committed to 
     overseeing good government reforms, maintenance of the 
     county's public health care system, and quality-of-life 
     issues for the millions of county residents living in 
     unincorporated Los Angeles County;
       Whereas, throughout her career, Gloria Molina served on 
     various boards, including the Mexican American Legal Defense 
     and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Southwest Voter Education 
     and Registration Project, the National Association of Latino 
     Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and the California 
     Community Foundation;

[[Page S2466]]

       Whereas Gloria Molina also served for over 10 years as 1 of 
     4 Vice Chairs of the Democratic National Committee (DNC);
       Whereas Gloria Molina, a strong advocate for the arts and 
     the celebration of Mexican American culture, traditions, and 
     history, in 2011 established LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in 
     Downtown Los Angeles, and in 2014, the Eastside Arts 
     Initiative to support community-based arts organizations, 
     including CASA 0101 and Self-Help Graphics;
       Whereas Gloria Molina, a master quilter and artist, formed 
     the East LA Stitchers (TELAS) to inspire Latinas to express 
     their culture through this art form;
       Whereas Gloria Molina was a champion for social justice and 
     fought tirelessly for the most vulnerable Angelenos, from 
     fighting against a plan to build a prison in the Eastside to 
     helping grow the public transportation system and ending the 
     forced sterilizations of women at General Hospital in Los 
     Angeles;
       Whereas, throughout a distinguished career, Gloria Molina 
     touched the lives of countless people and will have her life 
     and legacy preserved in Los Angeles;
       Whereas the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 
     Authority Board of Directors voted to dedicate the East Los 
     Angeles Civic Center station in Gloria Molina's name;
       Whereas the CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights designated 
     its main theater as the ``Gloria Molina Auditorium'' in honor 
     of Gloria Molina's donations to Latino arts in the Southland 
     area of Los Angeles;
       Whereas the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted 
     a resolution to rename Grand Park the ``Gloria Molina Grand 
     Park'' commemorating Gloria Molina's service to Los Angeles;
       Whereas the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion to 
     rename a portion of the Observation Deck in the Tom Bradley 
     Tower which overlooks Grand Park, as the ``Gloria Molina 
     Observation deck''; and
       Whereas Gloria Molina passed away on May 14, 2023, at the 
     age of 74 after battling cancer for 3 years: Now, therefore 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and loved 
     ones of Gloria Molina of Mount Washington, California, in 
     their bereavement; and
       (2) recognizes and celebrates Gloria Molina's historic 32-
     year political career and the series of firsts that inspired 
     generations of women and Latinos to seek public office, being 
     the first Latina Assembly Member in California, the first 
     Latina on the Los Angeles City Council, and the first Latina 
     on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.

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