For more than a decade, Ricardo Lara has worked tirelessly in the Assembly to improve the lives of working families. This work ethic was taught to him by his parents, Venustiano and Dolores Lara, Mexican immigrants who came to California seeking a better life.
As Chief of Staff to Majority Leader Marco Antonio Firebaugh, 50th Assembly District, Ricardo spearheaded several bills that became law, including the landmark AB 540, making college education more affordable for immigrant students.
Always a steadfast advocate for educational equity, Ricardo directed numerous legislative initiatives to bring additional resources and appropriate textbooks for English language learner students. He also worked to eliminate anti-affirmative action policies at the University of California and drafted legislation to create fair university admission policies.
And to advance homeownership in California, Ricardo worked to re-establish the Building Equity and Growth in Neighborhoods Program (BEGIN) to provide down payment assistance loans to qualifying first-time low and moderate-income homebuyers.
A tireless environmental activist, he worked on legislation allocating 50 percent of all budget allocations for air quality improvement projects to benefit low-income communities and communities of color that are severely impacted by air pollution.
As District Director for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, he has launched several programs to provide tax relief, citizenship information, savings on utility bills, drug abuse awareness and prevention, tutoring, and access to higher education and health care resources.
As part of his commitment to public service, Ricardo is a member of the Los Angeles County's Consumer Affairs Commission working on ways to help protect people from identity theft and predatory lending. As part of the commission, Ricardo also worked to ensure scam artists couldn’t prey upon seniors, college students and immigrants.
Ricardo currently serves as Communications Director for Assembly member Kevin de Léon, Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE). PIQE encourages and supports low-income, ethnically diverse parents of elementary, middle and high school children to take a proactive role in their children's education.
Ricardo is running to become the 50th District's representative in the State Assembly to continue his lifelong mission to improve the quality of life for California's working families. He believes our children deserve a clean environment; quality education and teachers in our communities must have the resources they need to prepare our youth to succeed in today's global economy.
He attended San Diego State University where he earned Bachelor of Art Degrees in Journalism and Spanish and a minor in Chicano Studies, becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college. He is currently working on a Master's Degree in Leadership from the University of Southern California.
