In November of 2006, Charles M. Calderon was reelected to serve in the California State Assembly representing the 58th Assembly District.  Assemblymember Calderon chairs the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee and sits on the Governmental Organization, Insurance and Water, Parks and Wildlife Committees.

Assemblymember Calderon has compiled an impressive list of achievements over his twenty years in public service. At the age of 29, he was elected to the Montebello School Board by the greatest number of votes in district history.  During his tenure on the board, Mr. Calderon was responsible for placing libraries in every elementary school, bringing computers to the schools and placing a full time college counselor on every high school campus.

In 1982, Calderon was first elected to the California State Assembly, where he served with distinction at the first Latino lawyer to the State Assembly. In 1990, he was elected to the State Senate where he became the first Latino Majority Leader. His years in the legislature are characterized by a commitment to community and the lessons he learned in public schools and as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

Assemblymember Calderon has authored landmark legislation that reflects a deep commitment to his community and improving the quality of life for all Californians. He has been a leader on the issues of crime, education, the environment, healthcare and disaster relief.

His legislative history includes the innovative Drug Dealer Liability Act, which holds drug dealers financially responsible for the harm caused by the drugs they sell. He instituted a pilot program with the University of California that concluded that physical fitness was tied to higher self esteem and increased performance in school. He was responsible for closing the Monterey Park Dump, a location infamously referred as “Witches Brew” by the EPA. He was responsible for insuring that mammography’s were mandatory in every health insurance policy in the state. After the 1986 Whittier Narrows earthquake, Calderon called for a special session of the legislature to help victims of the quake. He was able to secure $250 million in state funds to help people rebuild their lives, help local government replenish their treasuries, repair government structures and rebuild cultural infrastructure such as the Whittier Boys and Girls Club. His legislation would later become the model for relief to victims of the Northridge earthquake.