Community Advocate Wendy Carrillo Announces Her Candidacy for State Assembly 

June 7, 2017 Contact:  Lisa Gasperoni

916-803-0433

Today, community advocate Wendy Carrillo is announcing her candidacy for State Assembly District 51.  This will be a special election to fill the seat being vacated by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez who has been elected to Congress.

“First, I want to congratulate our next Congressman Jimmy Gomez on his victory last night,” said Carrillo. “Like Jimmy Gomez, I will be a leader for the people, fighting for educational opportunity, access to quality healthcare, living wage jobs and social justice.”

Carrillo says she is throwing her hat into the ring for Assembly to advance the values our families care about – opportunity, equality and fairness.

“As a formerly undocumented immigrant who came to the US as a young child, I know what it means achieve the American Dream – to get a good education, to have access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to have a high-wage job,” said Carrillo.  “I will never stop fighting against income inequality and for those who need a voice in our political system.”

In her career as an award-winning journalist, Wendy hosted and produced a community based radio program in Los Angeles, delving into issues ranging from access to higher education and ending the school to prison pipeline to environmental justice and political transparency.

Wendy previously led communications and organizing efforts for long term care workers at SEIU Local 2015.  Her work included fighting for fair wages for caregivers who provide our seniors and those with disabilities the dignity to stay in their homes as well as ensuring safe staff ratios in nursing homes.

“I’ve been on the frontlines of environmental justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration rights and social justice movements,” said Carrillo.  “I will fight for gender pay equity, sexual assault prevention and against domestic violence.”

“We need girls and children from our communities of color to be part of the STEM programs in our schools.  College should be a benefit shared by all, not a financial burden that saddles young people with debt,” Carrillo concluded.

Wendy Carrillo grew up in Boyle Heights and City Terrace and is a proud graduate of local public schools.  She is a graduate of East Los Angeles College and Cal State Los Angeles, where she earned her BA and USC, where she earned her Master’s Degree.