Connie Leyva (born February 19, 1967) is a former American politician and union organizer, who now serves as the Executive Director of public radio and television station KVCR. She previously served as a 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. ...

in the 20th Senate District from 2014-2022. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Leyva was raised in

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino's surroundings ha ...

, where she attended public schools. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in communicative disorders from the University of Redlands.

Career

Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2014, she was president of the

California Labor Federation The California Labor Federation is a federation of labor unions in the U.S. state of California. It is an affiliate of the AFL–CIO. Founded in 1901 as the California State Federation of Labor, the CLF has grown to encompass over 1,300 unions ...

. Leyva was elected to the

in 2014, receiving the endorsement of the local AFL–CIO chapter. In 2015, Leyva opposed legislation to end personal belief exemptions for mandatory vaccinations for students in California public schools. On January 6, 2022, Leyva announced that she would not run for reelection to the State Senate as newly approved redistricting maps put state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) in the same district as state Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and the two would have had to face off in the fall. On January 26, 2022, Leyva announced that she would be a candidate for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, seeking to unseat Curt Hagman. She was defeated by a wide margin. In late October, 2022, the San Bernardino Community College District announced appointing Leyva as executive director of KVCR. KVCR is a

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

dual licensee that also operates First Nations Experience, a digital multicast channel for Native American and Indigenous programming.

Personal life

Leyva and her husband, Al, live in

and have twin daughters.

References

External links

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Campaign website
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Join California Connie Leyva
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leyva, Connie Democratic Party California state senators University of Redlands alumni Living people 1967 births People from Chino, California Women state legislators in California 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the California State Legislature