Senator Lena A. Gonzalez was elected to the State Senate to represent the 33rd District in June of 2019. Growing up in a working-class family where her father was a truck driver and her mother, an immigrant from Mexico who works in aerospace, Senator Gonzalez learned the value of hard work and dedication. Prior to being elected to the Senate,Gonzalez served on the Long Beach City Council from 2014-2019. On the Council, Gonzalez championed policies such as:    -Foam Free LB (Citywide Styrofoam ban)  -LB Business First (local business prioritization program) -Digital Inclusion Roadmap -LB Justice Fund (support for undocumented residents) -Park Equtiy Plan (pushing for programs in the North/Westside of the City)  -LGBTQ Business Inclusion Policy (making LB the first in CA) among many more...   Gonzalez also worked in the private sector for Microsoft, leading civic engagement investments for the Los Angeles region. Her focus was on expanding diversity and inclusion in the tech sector by providing grants to non-profit organizations and digital skills programs for underserved communities, to include: unemployed adults seeking job training and creating career pathways for youth, especially supporting young girls of color in STEM.   In the Senate, Gonzalez prioritizes creating economic opportunity for all families and children in SD 33. Gonzalez led legislation that tackled the Digital Divide, as well as an act related to ensuring Californians living with HIV were not discriminated against during life & disability income insurance underwriting. She will continue promoting quality education at all levels, affordable housing and homelessness, climate change policies and ensuring every Californian has access to quality healthcare - especially during this crisis. Senator Gonzalez sits on the Senate Health, Judiciary and Transportation Committees as well as the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. She is Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ports & Goods Movement and Chair of the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response.   Senator Gonzalez lives in Long Beach with her husband Adam and their three sons Zorion, Ethan and Luca. Gonzalez graduated with her B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Long Beach and MBA from Loyola Marymount University.

Elizabeth lives in Lakewood with her husband of nine years. Elizabeth has been a registered nurse for 12 years.  Elizabeth holds an Associate Degree in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a nursing license in Public Health. For 12 years, Elizabeth worked at a large acute care hospital in the City of Long Beach. Elizabeth is currently working as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) serving patients in Los Angeles and Orange County.

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As a registered nurse, Elizabeth understands the importance of protecting essential workers from being infected by a highly contagious disease. Moreover, Elizabeth recognizes the serious ramifications of not providing personnel with the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure they can perform their jobs safely and effectively.

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Over time, Elizabeth has witnessed an increase in homelessness, lack of mental health services, environmental injustices, lack of access to healthcare, and the structural racism that exists in the black, brown, indigenous, and poor communities. 

 

Elizabeth will fight for legislation to grant rent and mortgage forgiveness. Elizabeth will fight for stronger worker protections the thousands of workers and their families in our 33rd district. 

 

Equality – Social Justice – Healthcare – Worker’s Rights -Environment 

Too many poor and working families must decide between paying rent, buying food, or going obtaining medical care. Millions of hard-working families throughout our nation cannot afford adequate healthcare, nor necessary medications. The inability to attain healthcare results in millions of Americans with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, respiratory diseases, and heart disease. Due to socioeconomic injustices, our immigrant and Latino communities, which are the majority in our district, are negatively impacted by healthcare disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting Latinos particularly hard, has only exacerbated the health crisis in our communities. No human being, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, social status, or any other diverse group, should ever be denied healthcare. The astronomical costs of healthcare have established a system exclusively for the wealthy and privileged and disregard the needs of 95% of Americans. We must fight for single-payer healthcare!

Corporations, like Carlton Forge, owned by world famous multi-billionaire Warren Buffett, have been polluting our air for decades with impunity. These polluters are located near schools, hospitals, and residential areas. Over the years, these polluters have been minimally sanctioned, which has resulted in the continuous poisoning of communities throughout the 33rd district. Hence, they have determined that it is cheaper for polluters to pay fines than to strive for clean energy machinery and processes. Again, our elected representatives have not championed our fight for clean air, land, and water. On the contrary, they have taken sizable political "donations" and enjoyed intertwined relationships with those polluting corporations. Those very relationships have resulted in increased wealth for the CEOs, which has allowed them to insert immense amounts of money to ensure the re-election of the politicians that continue to conspire and support the polluters. Meanwhile, the citizens of the 33rd district continue to be exposed to toxins that have resulted in life changing diseases such as cancer, asthma, chronic nosebleeds, and skin problems. We must put an immediate stop to the polluting corporations and enact strong, and lasting, anti-polluting legislation.

 

    -We must fight for healthcare for all, clean air, water and land!!!