[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 5897-5898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF MARCO ANTONIO FIREBAUGH

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, California has lost a fine, young 
leader. Marco Antonio Firebaugh, former California Assembly majority 
floor leader, representing the 50th assembly district, and chair of the 
California Latino Legislative Caucus, recently passed away. I would 
like to take a few moments to recognize Marco Antonio Firebaugh's many 
important accomplishments and the tremendous impact he made as a leader 
in California.
  Born in Baja California, Mexico, Firebaugh served three terms as a 
member of the California State Assembly and one term as the majority 
floor leader. In 1998, he was first elected to the California State 
Assembly, representing the 50th assembly district. During his tenure, 
he fought for the

[[Page 5898]]

rights of all Californians, including immigrants and their children, 
with passion and great success. Under his leadership, the California 
State Assembly passed legislation that focused on increasing the 
availability of education to all California residents.
  He led the effort to appoint more qualified Latinos and Latinas to 
high-level positions in State government, including the appointment of 
only the second Latino to serve on the California Supreme Court, the 
first Latina to serve as chancellor of a University of California 
campus, and two additional Latino presidents at the California State 
Universities at Fresno and Sacramento.
  Firebaugh worked strenuously to protect and defend the dignity of his 
constituents, regardless of their immigration status, and remained 
involved in community affairs after his departure from the California 
State Assembly. He served as a visiting professor and policy fellow at 
the UCLA School of Medicine, Center for the Study of Latino Health and 
Culture. Most recently, he decided to reenter public life, as a 
candidate for the California State Senate, 30th district, and gained 
the support of many local community leaders, including current 30th 
district State senator Martha Escutia. His dedication to his fellow 
Californians will be missed.
  I invite all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing and honoring 
Marco Antonio Firebaugh for his guidance and leadership in fighting to 
improve the lives of all Californians. He is survived by his mother, 
Carmen Ramos Garcia; his children, Ariana and Nicolas; brothers, Carlos 
and Jesse; and sisters, Cecilia and Esmeralda.

                          ____________________