[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 189 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7215-S7216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE LOS ANGELES GALAXY FOR WINNING THE 2024 MAJOR LEAGUE 
                               SOCCER CUP

  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that 
notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate proceed to the consideration of 
S. Res. 936, submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 936) congratulating the Los Angeles 
     Galaxy for winning the 2024 Major League Soccer Cup.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. PADILLA. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be made and 
laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 936) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's 
(legislative day of December 16, 2024) Record under ``Submitted 
Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.


                  Nomination of Serena Raquel Murillo

  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, as we conclude the final week of the 
118th Congress, and we bring to a close the historic--truly historic--
Biden-Harris administration, we look back on the biggest 
accomplishments of this body.
  Now, serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee alongside my partners 
over the years, Senators Dianne Feinstein, Senator Laphonza Butler, and 
as of last week, Senator Adam Schiff, I am particularly proud to have 
played a role in the confirmation of a nearly record number of 
President Biden's Federal judicial nominees.
  Today, I want to ask for your support on the final two nominees that 
are awaiting confirmation by this body.
  So first let me introduce to you Judge Serena Murillo, President 
Biden's nominee to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Central 
District of California, the proud daughter of a waitress and a Mexican-
American farmworker who went back to school to become a teacher.
  Judge Murillo was born in Pomona, CA. She earned her undergraduate 
degree from the University of California-San Diego and earned her law 
degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. And after a year in 
private practice, Judge Murillo joined the District Attorney's Office 
in Los Angeles where she served as a prosecutor for the next 7 years.
  In the District Attorney's Office, she served as both a trial and 
appellate attorney, and throughout her time there, she tried 68 cases 
to verdict. Now, since 2015, Judge Murillo has served as a judge on the 
Los Angeles Superior Court and was even appointed justice pro tem on 
the California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, from 2018 
to 2019.
  Her deep experience across the whole spectrum of criminal and civil 
law, and her reputation for thoughtfulness, fairmindedness, courtesy, 
and hard work on the bench will make her a tremendous district judge if 
she earns this body's support. On her behalf and on behalf of the 
people of California, I ask for your ``aye'' vote for this nomination.


                    Nomination of Benjamin J. Cheeks

  Madam President, now this week, we will also consider the nomination 
of Judge Benjamin Cheeks to serve on the U.S. District Court for the 
Southern District of California. Judge Cheeks was born in Albany, GA, 
and raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to provide for 
him and his siblings.
  Recognizing that education was the key to a better future, he worked 
hard and earned a full scholarship to attend the University of Miami, 
and he went on to earn his law degree from American University, 
Washington College of Law.
  After law school, Judge Cheeks served as an assistant district 
attorney in Manhattan for 7 years. And then the light went off, and he 
made his way to California where he served as assistant U.S. attorney 
for the Southern District of California.
  Three years later, he started his own criminal defense practice 
serving on a panel to represent defendants who could not afford private 
attorneys. And earlier this year, Judge Cheeks was unanimously selected 
by members of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District to 
serve as a magistrate judge. That says a lot. And it says a lot about 
the qualifications, the values, the approach, and the great service he 
will provide as a district judge with your support.
  So two more-than-qualified, more-than-ready-to-serve nominees 
awaiting our confirmation. I ask you, colleagues, for your support.


                        Tribute to Tony Cardenas

  Madam President and colleagues, I rise today to congratulate and to 
thank Congressman Tony Cardenas as he prepares to retire after 12 
distinguished years of service in the U.S.

[[Page S7216]]

House of Representatives and 28 years in public service overall.
  Since his time in the House, he has been a tremendous, aggressive, 
effective, and passionate member of the California delegation in 
particular, and one of the true stars of the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus.
  He is my fellow ``tiger'' from San Fernando High School. He was my 
first boss in politics, and, more recently--to the thrill of our 
wives--my roommate here in Washington. For many decades now, Tony has 
been a cherished friend and truly a brother in politics and in life.
  Tony Cardenas is a champion for the San Fernando Valley and has been 
for nearly three decades, and Tony's story and legacy deserves to be 
celebrated and remembered. And that is why I choose to make these 
remarks today, so that they are a permanent record; yes, even here in 
the U.S. Senate.
  Now, he was raised just a few blocks from where I grew up in the 
proud working-class community of Pacoima. Antonio ``Tony'' Cardenas was 
born on March 31, 1963, the youngest of 11 children born to Andres and 
Maria Cardenas.
  And, yes, Tony is just a few years ahead of me, but our stories 
followed similar paths. Tony's parents and my father are from the same 
State of Jalisco in Mexico, and they immigrated to the United States in 
search of a better life--in pursuit of the American dream, Colleagues, 
that you know I fight so hard to defend.
  We both attended Telfair Elementary School and went on to attend San 
Fernando high school. And when it came time to attend college, despite 
discouragement from some of our teachers, we both went on to college 
and earned engineering degrees.
  Yet it is in part because of Tony and his passion and commitment to 
community that I left what could have been a very promising and 
fruitful career in engineering to pursue public service. When Tony 
first set out to make a difference and run for the State Assembly in 
1996, he actually took a chance on me asking me to be his campaign 
manager. When he asked, I couldn't help but be honest. I looked at him, 
and I said: Tony, I don't know the first thing about running campaigns. 
I think he was equally honest because he looked right back at me and 
said: Well, I don't know the first thing about running for office. But 
you know me; I know you. We are smart. We are committed. We are hard-
working. We will figure this out together. And I think we kind of did.
  I was pretty young at the time, like, literally, fresh out of 
college. But he took a leap of faith on me, and I took a leap of faith 
on him. Like many, many young people--right?--you are cynical about 
politicians and about government. But I knew who Tony was as a person. 
I knew his values. I knew his work ethic. I knew his moral compass, 
aside from having so much in common growing up. And I knew just how 
committed he was to our community and to making change.
  See, Tony had previously left engineering and entered real estate. He 
had his own very successful real estate company. He could have moved on 
to live anywhere else and been tremendously successful in the private 
sector, but he chose to leave that and enter public service to improve 
the quality of life of the folks that we grew up with.
  And from his very first election to the State Assembly--and he was an 
underdog candidate, trust me, but he was successful--to the times when 
he and I worked together on the Los Angeles City Council to the last 
few years when we served together here in the Halls of Congress, I have 
been blessed not just because of his mentorship, not just because of 
his friendship, but to just have a front row seat to his public service 
career.
  I have seen him, and I have been inspired by him and his fights for 
justice and opportunities for at-risk youth; him leading the charge in 
our Nation's clean energy transition--again, something that started 
years ago in prior offices but has continued here at the national level 
through his work in Congress; and his advocacy for better access to 
mental health care. He has done so much in a number of policy areas.
  But what I admire most is sort of the through line in his narrative 
and in his career that he has never shied away from a righteous fight. 
The most righteous fights, as you know, are often the most hard battles 
to fight. Tony never shied away from that, and he won a heck of a lot 
more often than he didn't because it was the right thing to do.
  And I also appreciate and reflect on his public service and the way 
he has gone about carving out a path for others to follow. When I 
mentioned his first run for the State legislature in 1996, I take you 
back to a time where, even in the State of California, there were not 
nearly as many Latinos in positions of power at the Federal or State or 
even the local level. But through the power of his example, he has 
opened the door for so many others--including me--to dream of running 
for office, to think of running for office, to actually run for office, 
to win the opportunity and to serve well. Yes, colleagues, entire 
generations of young Latino leaders now see running for office and 
having a say in the decisions that affect our communities as the norm, 
not the exception. And it is, in part--large part--because of the 
trailblazing legacy of Tony Cardenas.
  And I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank his wife 
Norma, and his four children--Vanessa, Cristian, Andres, and Alina--and 
the entire Cardenas family for sharing him with us for all these years.
  And while next month Tony will officially step away from his work in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, I have no doubt that his service to 
others is not coming to an end. It will continue. I look forward to 
continuing to fight alongside him for many, many years to come.
  I yield the floor.
  (The PRESIDENT pro tempore assumed the Chair.)
  (Mr. KAINE assumed the Chair.)

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