Wave Wire Services
SACRAMENTO — Lisa Calderon was sworn in Dec. 7 to the state Assembly, representing Whittier, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs and part of the San Gabriel Valley.
Calderon, a Whittier Democrat, succeeds her stepson, Ian Calderon, in representing the 57th Assembly District.
Ian Calderon, the Assembly majority leader, decided against seeking a fifth term, opting instead to spend more time with his wife and three children.
“I am deeply honored to represent my constituents in Sacramento,” Lisa Calderon said. “I look forward to being a strong advocate for our communities in the 57th District and addressing the challenges facing
Californians today.”
A member of the Calderon family has served in the Legislature since 1982. Lisa Calderon’s husband Charles was an assemblyman from 1982-90 and 2006-12 and a state senator from 1990-98. Her brother-in-law Ron was an assemblyman from 2002-06 and a state senator from 2006-14. Another brother-in-law, Tom, was an assemblyman from 1998-2002.
Calderon defeated Whittier City Councilwoman Jessica Martinez, a Republican, in the Nov. 3 election after finishing second in a field of eight Democrats and Martinez in the March 3 primary.
Calderon describes herself as businesswoman and activist but “first and foremost a mom.” She is team mother for her youngest son’s baseball team at Loyola High School.
Calderon graduated from Cal State Sacramento. She worked for then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, D-San Francisco, in the Office of Majority Services from 1990-96.
She was a government affairs manager for Edison International from 1996 through 2020, concentrating the past seven years on efforts to increase Latino representation in elected offices throughout California and the rest of the nation.
“I grew up from humble beginnings,” said Calderon, who lived in government-subsidized housing as a child. Both her parents were farm workers. They divorced when she was 6.
“It was hard, but it made me strong, compassionate, and understanding of others,” she said. “I have had to fight for everything I have. Throughout my life I have fought for the advancement of issues and people who the system is leaving behind. I will never stop fighting for those people, because I believe everyone deserves a fair shake in life.”
