3:00pm | Today, Assemblymember Tony Mendoza of Artesia was replaced by Assemblymember Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens as chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus following a tumultuous relationship recently with fellow members of the caucus.
Mendoza, using a recent election bid as his reason for resigning, said in a statement:
As time is short to campaign for [a seat on the Central Basin Municipal Water District], for which the election was recently moved to June, I don’t want to short change the Caucus, the constituents I currently serve or the constituents of the Water District by spreading my time too thin… I know I have ruffled a few feathers as I fought for my constituents rather than doing what was easy. I want to take that same questioning of the status quo to the water district.
Mendoza will effectively step down March 9. Lara is running for the newly drawn 33rd Senate District includes the cities of Vernon, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bell, Cudahy, Bell Gardens, South Gate, Lynwood, Paramount, and Signal Hill, along with portions of Lakewood, Long Beach, and the unincorporated communities of Walnut Park and Florence-Graham.