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| California State Senator to Receive Los Angeles, CA--The Cal State L.A. chapter of the national Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society will award an Honorary Active-for-Life Membership to California State Senator Gloria Romero, a faculty member on leave from the psychology department at California State University, Los Angeles. Romero will receive the honor at the Cal State L.A. chapterÂs annual installation ceremony and banquet on April 28, 2002 at the Quiet Cannon Restaurant, where she will be the keynote speaker. Senator Gloria Romero: Background Since first joining the State Legislature in 1998, Senator Romero has gained the reputation as one of the hardest working legislators in Sacramento. This commitment led the political-insider magazine California Journal to name her as a rising star in California politics. As an Assembly member she was named Majority Whip and was the first woman ever to chair the Labor and Employment Committee. In 1995, Dr. Romero became the first Latina elected to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees and served as board vice-president. Dr. Romero was subsequently elected to the Los Angeles Elected Charter Reform Commission in 1997. As the CommissionÂs first chair, she guided this historic voter-created body through its formation stage. An experienced educator, Senator Romero, who has a Ph.D. in psychology, has taught at each level of CaliforniaÂs college system for almost 20 years, most recently at Cal State L.A. After only her second year on the faculty, the Cal State L.A. Associated Student Government presented Romero with its Honored Faculty Award. She was named Distinguished Alumna of the California Community College League, and was honored in 2000 as Legislator of the Year by the California State Students Association. The California Faculty Association awarded her the Mario Savio Advocate for Justice Award for her commitment to due process rights for professors in the state of California. In addition to teaching, Dr. Romero has conducted extensive scholarly research. Her work in the field of HIV/AIDS education and prevention has led to recognition from the National Institutes of Mental Health, University-wide AIDS Program, Ford Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. Dr. Romero has co-authored several articles in the field of solid psychology. Senator Romero currently serves on the powerful Senate Rules Committee, which is responsible for confirming all appointments made by the Governor. She also sits on the Senate committees on Transportation, Housing and Community Development, Health and Human Services, Public Employment and Retirement, and Labor and Employment. Senator RomeroÂs district contains the nationÂs largest operative landfill. Because of her great interest in protecting her constituents and her commitment to environmental justice she created and was named chair of the Senate Select Committee on Urban Landfills. Additionally, she chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee on AlzheimerÂs and serves on the Senate Select Committee on Energy Labs. She is the author of a wide array of legislation, including the AlzheimerÂs Training Act of 2000. Senator Romero has also written laws to protect workers from unfair terminations, to assist community college students transfer to four-year universities, to curb Medi-Cal fraud, and protect consumers from the unauthorized practice of law. In 2001, Senator Romero introduced legislation to protect victims of domestic violence, prevent forced overtime of nurses and health care employees, to keep trauma and emergency centers from closing, as well as to provide the best cervical cancer screening test for California women. Senator Romero has actively participated in community organizations including the Hispanic Advisory Council to the Los Angeles Police Commission, and was the co-founder of the WomenÂs Advisory Council to the Los Angeles Police Commission. She also served on the Domestic Violence Task Force for the City of Los Angeles and formed a domestic violence task force in her district. She is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, National Organization for Women, National WomenÂs Political Caucus, and the California Faculty Association/AFL-CIO. In recognition of her public service and community involvement, Dr. Romero has received various honors and awards, including the Commission Femenil Community Service Award, the Mexican-American L.A. County Bar Association Community Service Award, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Education and Community Award, the San Gabriel Valley League of United Latin-American Citizens Community Service Award, and the YWCAÂs ÂIncredible Women Making History Award. The Los Angeles City Council hailed her as a ÂWoman Pioneer. Gloria Romero is a graduate of Barstow Community College and California State University, Long Beach. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Riverside. She has one daughter, Soledad Romero Ursua, who is a first year student in college.
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