A sixth-generation resident of Pomona, Assemblywoman Nell Soto returned to the Assembly in 2006 to represent the 61st District, which includes parts of of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the cities of Ontario, Pomona, Chino and Montclair.

Assemblywoman Soto was first elected to the Assembly in 1998, then served from 2000-2006 in the California Senate. Prior to her election to the Assembly in 1998, Soto served for 12 years on the Pomona City Council. She was also the first Latina from the San Gabriel Valley to be elected to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Assemblywoman Soto is the mother of six, grandmother of 11, and great-grandmother to three. Her late husband, Philip Soto, served two terms in the State Assembly from 1962-1966.