Carol Jean Liu (born September 12, 1941) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who is a former member of the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

. A Democrat, she represented Senate District 25, which includes portions of the San Fernando and

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

s. Before being elected to the State Senate, Liu served in the State Assembly representing the 44th Assembly District until 2006. In 2008, Liu was elected to succeed the termed-out Jack Scott in the State Senate.

Early life and career

Liu was born in 1941 in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. Her mother was a fourth generation Californian, and her father was a Chinese immigrant. Liu graduated from San Jose State College with a B.A. in 1963. Liu taught junior high and senior high school-level history in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

cities of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

from 1964 until 1978. She also served as executive director of the Richmond Federation of Teachers from 1975 to 1978. In 1982, Liu completed a teaching and administrative credential at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Political career

Before serving in the Senate, Liu served in the State Assembly. Prior to the Assembly, Liu served on the city council of La Cañada Flintridge, a small city in the Cresenta Valley near

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

, from 1992 until 2000, including two terms as its mayor. In the 2008 primary election for the California Senate seat, she initially faced opposition from former Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer. However, Frommer decided to drop out before the election.

Legislation

Among her major accomplishments in the Senate has been the enactment of Senate Bill 110, the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 2010. Passed unanimously by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bill assures that abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and elders are treated as crimes. Senator Liu'
SB 42 (2015) – Postsecondary Education Goals
bill coordinates California's Higher Education segments (U.C. and C.S.U.), but it was vetoed by Governor

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

. Senator Liu voted in favor of California Senate Constitutional Amendment No.5. The proposed bill would have asked California voters to consider repealing provisions of Proposition 209, thus permitting state universities to consider an applicant's race, ethnicity or national origin in making admissions decisions. The proposed amendment resulted in controversy. In a Facebook response, Liu indicated that California Proposition 209 set "outdated barriers" to groups of "underrepresented students eligible for U.C. and C.S.U." and that their enrollment "has not kept pace with the proportion of the high school graduating class they now represent." Senator Liu, along with former senators

Leland Yee Leland Yin Yee (; born November 20, 1948) is an American former politician who served as a member of the California State Senate for District 8, which covered parts of San Francisco and the Peninsula. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a ...

and Ted Lieu, who had also voted for the bill, ultimately issued a joint statement calling for the bill to be withheld pending further consultations with the "affected communities."André Coleman & Kevin Uhrich, "A Giant Awakens" ''Pasadena Weekly''
Mar. 12, 2014

Personal life

Liu is married to Michael Peevey, who was appointed to the

California Public Utilities Commission The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC or PUC) is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition ...

by Governor

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor ...

, and later was named president of the Commission by Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

, where he served until retiring in 2014. They have three children and four grandchildren.

References

External links

*
California Archive Carol LiuJoin California Carol Liu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Carol Democratic Party California state senators Politicians from Greater Los Angeles Women state legislators in California 1941 births Living people American mayors of Chinese descent California politicians of Chinese descent American school administrators Schoolteachers from California American women educators American women of Chinese descent in politics Women mayors of places in California California city council members Women city councillors in California Mayors of places in California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from La Cañada Flintridge, California Politicians from Berkeley, California Politicians from Oakland, California San Jose State University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, Berkeley faculty 21st-century American women politicians City council members of Asian descent Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in California 21st-century members of the California State Legislature