Assembly member Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, will be the new chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus.

The lawmaker is a trailblazer in the California Legislature. She is the first open LGBTQ female, first Latina millennial, and first Inland Empire lawmaker to chair the caucus.

“Ever since I could remember from a young age, I’ve really always sought to make a difference in my local community, but I think it’s been a collective experience that really propelled me to eventually run for office… I’ve always been advocating for underserved, underinvested communities within the Inland Empire,” Cervantes said.

Cervantes said she is going to be a voice for all the Latinos in the state.

“We’re going to be uplifting the [sic] nearly 16 million Latino voices who are the backbone of California’s economy, the fifth largest in the world, to really amplify their voices at our state Capitol in Sacramento,” Cervantes said.

Cervantes is also a mother of triplets and has worked on legislation to eliminate barriers in the adoption process for LGBTQ parents. Last legislative session, she authored AB 2466, which explicitly prohibits placing agencies, when placing foster children, from declining a resource family because of a parent’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

“My wife and I actually went through this process and we didn’t really understand the navigating and confusing system before, so we then had to get down and educate ourselves,” Cervantes said.

After learning more about the system, Cervantes said she realized the adoption process and policies varied throughout all 58 counties in California. The new law helps establish a statewide standard.

“We’re ensuring that parentage laws reflect and further protect all families in California,” Cervantes said.

Being a member of the California Legislature while raising triplets has shown Cervantes the struggles that working moms go through.

“There is a real struggle to find child care solutions for working parents… it seems insurmountable every day,” Cervantes said.

As part of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, Cervantes said they have been focusing on increasing access to child care for working mothers.

“Research shows that mothers are more likely to face workplace discriminations, passed over for promotions, and they are making important career decisions based on child care considerations,” Cervantes said.

Cervantes was the vice-chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and will take over as chair in the next legislative session on Dec. 5.

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