This summer, Latino elected officials joined Latino chancellors, presidents and administrators from cities, colleges and school districts across California at the second annual Latino Leadership and Policy Summit presented by Marymount California University in Rancho Palos Verdes.
California Assembly Member Luis Alejo (D-Salinas), chair of the California Legislature Latino Caucus, provided the keynote address for this year’s two-day summit, which was hosted by Marymount’s Latino Leadership and Policy Institute.
Summit participants included Ted Martinez, Jr., Ph.D., director of the Latino Leadership and Policy Institute, and representatives of the California Association of Latino Community College Trustees and Administrators, the League of California Cities Latino Caucus, the California School Board Association and the California Latino Association of Superintendents and Administrators.
Speaker presentations — which built upon the collaborative work that began in 2014 — included “CLSBA’s Platform for Latina/o Teacher Pathway,” “Leadership and Civic Engagement: Latino Voter Registration and Voter Turnout,” and more.
While Latinos comprise 40 percent of California’s total population, they hold only a fraction of leadership positions in the state’s government and educational institutions. Marymount’s Latino Leadership and Policy Institute was established to assist in leadership development and mentoring and succession planning.
The Latino Policy Summit is intended to provide a forum for Latino elected officials and leaders for the “development of a joint plan of action for articulating and achieving Latino policy objectives for the benefit of all Californians.”
“Until now, Latino leaders from California local governments have not been able to find the resources necessary to come together and hash out their common policy interests and goals,” said Bonifacio “Bonny” Garcia, a Marymount trustee. “This is a major step in the right direction.”
