Senator de Leon has proven to be a tenacious leader that takes on powerful special interests on behalf of his diverse district and those marginalized in California’s economy.

With a focus on using the public-policy process to empower the least fortunate and voiceless, he has led a bold agenda to increase economic opportunity for all Californians focused on education, equity for women, immigrants and low-wage workers, public safety, and strongly maintaining the state’s leadership in building a clean-energy economy that benefits everyone.

Senator de León has authored groundbreaking legislation on a variety of issues that have become national models and exemplify his ambitious approach to policymaking. He employs this today as he leads the upper house in California’s legislature, making real progress on critical issues that stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Congress which stays mired in gridlock.

De León served four years in the Assembly before his election to the Senate in 2010. He is the first person in California history to serve as the Chair of the Appropriations committees in both the Assembly and Senate. In 2014 he became the first Latino elected leader of the Senate in over a century. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, later earning a degree with honors from Pitzer College. He is a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California.

Senator de León’s record on the environment and energy has been studied by international leaders as they lay out their own steps to confront climate change and build clean-energy economies. Senator de León led the California delegation to the U.N. Climate Talks in Peru and Morocco and accompanied Governor Brown to Paris in 2015 to showcase California’s landmark accomplishments.