(Sacramento, CA) Artesia Teacher Tony Mendoza was sworn in as the member of the California State Assembly representing the 56th District at Inaugural Ceremonies at the State Capitol at high noon today. The ceremony was held as information was released that Mendoza was to be appointed to the powerful Assembly Rules Committee. The appointment by speaker Fabian Nunez, catapults Mendoza into a highly sought after position on one of the most prestigious committees in the state legislature.

Immediately upon being sworn in, Mendoza introduced his first bill, the Absentee Voter’s Information Act, which is designed to end the practice of mailing the candidates statements several days after the absentee ballots are mailed to voters. “This is a common sense bill and a natural place to begin making our state government more user-friendly. We want to encourage more Californians to be part of the decision-making process, so we should take every opportunity to give them the information they need to make solid decisions. When voters receive their absentee ballot, the candidates’ statements should arrive at the same time.” Mendoza stresses that his future legislation and support for his colleagues’ legislation will encompass a variety of other important issues, such as; improving the quality our children’s education, increasing access to health care, jobs creation, decreasing gridlock, providing more affordable housing, and improving the quality of our environment.

Tony Mendoza was a teacher at Brooklyn Elementary School in East Los Angeles. He is the first in his family of nine children to graduate from college. Tony was the first Latino Mayor of the City of Artesia and the youngest person to be selected mayor of that city. He served on the Artesia City Council for ten years. On the Council, Tony has worked to provide important services that benefit children and families––the At-Risk Youth Center, Adult Education Classes, the Artesia Family Resource Center and the Artesia Youth Academy. Tony Mendoza is active in United Teachers Los Angeles, where he serves on the Board of Directors and as a representative to the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association.  He has fought for school funding and more resources for classrooms.  Tony also sits on the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Board. He now represents the communities of Artesia, Buena Park, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Santa Fe Springs and South Whittier.

Mendoza also announced his key staff appointments:

-Luis Patino will head Mendoza’s team as Chief of Staff. He previously served as Director of Communications and Operations Support to State Senator Richard Alarcon. Patino earned several Golden Mikes and Emmy Award Nominations as a reporter at KCAL TV-9 in Los Angeles. As News Director of Univision 34 KMEX , he led his news department to the prestigious Edward R. Murrow National Award for Excellence. He is a past Student Body President of the University of Texas at El Paso.

-Alma Hernandez will serve as Mendoza’s Legislative Director. Hernandez, a graduate of UC Berkley is an experienced legislative policy specialist who has staffed key bills for Assembly Members Barbara Matthews and Jerome Horton. She is also a veteran of many political campaigns and most recently ran Mendoza’s primary campaign efforts.

-Marisela Cervantes, the former District Director for Former State Senator Martha Escutia has been selected as Mendoza’s District Director. Cervantes received high marks for leading a very responsive district operation with excellent constituent services. She received her Masters in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach.