Assemblymember Roger Hernández has been serving the people of the 48th Assembly District since he was first elected in November 2010 and was re-elected in November 2012. His duties and responsibilities include representing the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bradbury, City of Industry, Covina, El Monte, Glendora, Irwindale, Monrovia, West Covina, and the San Gabriel Valley unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including Bassett, Charter Oak, Citrus, East Arcadia, Ramona, Royal Oaks and Valinda.
The Speaker of the Assembly recently called upon Hernández to serve as Chair to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment in addition to serving as Chair of the Select Committee on Post-Secondary Access and Matriculation. Hernández maintains his membership on the Committee on Governmental Organization, the Health Committee and the Utilities and Commerce Committee.
Hernandez has been a tireless champion of key policy issues, both in the Assembly and as a local elected official. As an Assemblymember for the people of the San Gabriel Valley, Hernandez has sent over a dozen bills to the Governor. Recent laws championed by Hernandez include added protections for senior citizens against identity theft, mandating health insurance coverage for maternity services, ameliorating budget cuts to schools by increasing access to school grant funds, expanding Hepatitis C testing, as well as championing legislation to ensure workers are guaranteed a prevailing wage and other workplace protections; and the creation of resources for groundwater clean-up.
As a Councilmember, Hernández was also at the forefront of the creation of a city-run ambulance service. By creating this much needed service, the city of West Covina was not only able to cut emergency response times, but also generate cost-savings and revenues for the city while enhancing the city's emergency services to the public. In addition, his focus on health and wellness issues was clearly demonstrated through his tireless effort to create the award-winning Cameron Park Gymnasium and Community Center.
Assembly Hernández has worked with the Speaker and his colleagues in the Legislature on rebuilding the state's world-class education system for our children; promoting health and wellness issues; creating jobs; breaking the state budget gridlock by advocating for long-term fixes for Californians; and protecting open spaces so residents of the San Gabriel Valley can have the quality of life that they so richly deserve.
Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Hernández was a Professor of Government at Rio Hondo and Citrus Community Colleges. He served as Mayor and as a Councilmember for the City of West Covina. Previously to his tenure on the City Council, Hernández was elected to the Rowland Unified School Board were he served from November 1999 through July 2003.
As a son of immigrant parents in a working-class household, Hernández was the first in his family to pursue higher education goals beyond high school, by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Riverside, a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne and a Master's in Governance Certificate from the California School Boards Association (CSBA).
