Alberto Torrico (born March 18, 1969) is an American politician who was elected to the California State Assembly in 2004. He served for six years, including two years as Majority Leader. During his three terms in Sacramento, Alberto served as Chair of the Public Employee Retirement and Social Security Committee, charged with oversight of the pension funds, CALPERS and CALSTRS. He also chaired the Governmental Organization Committee. In the California Democratic primary of 2010, Alberto ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General. After being termed out of office, Torrico was appointed to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board in January 2011. Prior to his legislative tenure, Alberto served as a council member for three years in the East Bay community of Newark.

Early life and education

Torrico's parents immigrated from Bolivia. His mother has Japanese descent. Torrico attended Irvington High School in Fremont, California. Torrico earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. He went on to earn a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Legal career

Torrico was admitted to the California State Bar in 1996.CA State Bar Records
/ref> His career began as a policy aide for

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County form the ...

Supervisor Ron Gonzales. He specialized in

labor law Labour laws (also spelled as labor laws), labour code or employment laws are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship be ...

at Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfield in

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, taught labor and employment law at San Jose City College, and served as senior assistant counsel at the

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, more commonly known simply as the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), is a Special district (United States), special district responsible for public transit services, Congestion management agen ...

in San Jose. In 2001, he opened a private law practice in Fremont.

Public service

Newark City Council

Torrico was elected to the Newark City Council in 2001 and later served as Vice-Mayor of Newark.

California State Assembly

Torrico was elected to the California state Assembly in 2004 to succeed termed-out John Dutra. In his second term Torrico was appointed Chair of the Governmental Organization Committee. Torrico was later named Director for Majority Affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrico, Alberto 1969 births American politicians of Bolivian descent Living people Politicians from San Francisco Santa Clara University alumni University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni American legal scholars Lawyers from San Francisco California city council members Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly California politicians of Japanese descent Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in California American people of Bolivian descent People from Fremont, California People from Newark, California 21st-century members of the California State Legislature