Former Long Beach councilwoman and current State Sen. Lena Gonzalez has been appointed to senate majority whip, one of the top leadership position within the legislative body.

A whip’s main responsibility is guiding party members through the legislative and voting process. They also occasionally stand in for party leaders in their absence. The term “whip” comes from a fox-hunting expression—”whipper-in”—which refers to the member of the hunting team responsible for keeping the dogs from straying from the team during a chase.

“I sincerely look forward to working with my Senate colleagues in this new role to advance policies of equity and inclusion for the great people of California,” Gonzalez said in a statement on Friday.

In December last year, Gonzalez was appointed to chair the Senate Transportation Committee, becoming the first Latina or Latino to ever serve in this capacity and the only woman to serve in the last 20 years.

The former 1st District councilwoman was first elected to the State Senate in a special election in June of 2019 and was subsequently re-elected in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election for her first full 4-year term.

She represents the 33rd District, which covers Long Beach, as well as a large section of Southeast LA, including the cities of Bell, Huntington Park, Paramount and South Gate.