Martha M. Escutia (born January 16, 1957) is an American politician and attorney. She served in the

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

from 1992 to 1998 and the

California 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. N ...

from 1998 to 2006.

Early life and education

Escutia was born and raised in

East Los Angeles, California East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

. She received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and a J.D. from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

. She also holds certificates in Advanced International Legal Studies relating to Trade and Tariffs from the

World Court The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues as interpretati ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

and in Foreign Investment from the National Autonomous University in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Career

Escutia represented the 30th District. In the Senate, she chaired the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications (EU&C), as well as the Health and Human Services Committee. She was the first Latina to chair the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

. In the Assembly, she was the first woman to chair the Judiciary Committee. She also became the first woman to lead the 27-member California Legislative Latino Caucus and chaired the California Legislative Women's Caucus. Escutia authored legislation that established the first low-cost auto insurance program for low-income residents in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

and

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She was named "Legislator of the Year" by 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 ...

(

AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

), received the "Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government" for her work on Children's Environmental Health Protections, and in 1999, she earned the "Legislator of the Year Award" from the California School Boards Association. In November 2005, the Corona New Primary Center in

Bell, California Bell is an municipal corporation, incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located near the center of the former San Antonio Township (abolished after 1960), its population was 33,559 at the 2020 United States census ...

, was renamed the Martha Escutia Primary Center in her honor. Since 2013, Escutia has served as Vice President for Government Relations at the

. Escutia also serves on the Board for College Futures, a nonprofit that seeks to increase the rate of postsecondary education completion among underserved populations. As of 2019, Escutia was appointed to the California High Speed Rail Authority Board. The Authority is responsible for the planning, designing, building and operating of the high-speed rail line.

Personal life

Escutia married Leo Victor Briones in 1994. They have two children.

References

External links

Escutia's Profile with Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips

Profile and The Senators firm
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Martha Escutia on JoinCalifornia
, - 1957 births 21st-century American women politicians California state senators Georgetown University Law Center alumni Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Members of the California State Assembly American politicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American people in California politics People from East Los Angeles, California USC Sol Price School of Public Policy alumni Women state legislators in California 21st-century members of the California State Legislature 20th-century members of the California State Legislature 20th-century American women politicians {{California-CASenate-stub