CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

politics

CSUDH Alumna Brings Toro Pride to DC Politics

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CSUDH alumna Ruby Robles

Ruby Robles loves being where the action is. That’s one big reason that the CSUDH alumna’s current job, working in Washington, D.C., as the press secretary for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, suits her to a T.

“I’m right here where the laws are made,” says Robles. “Washington, D.C., is at the center of the news all the time. I’m really drawn to that—the excitement and the atmosphere.”

As press secretary, Robles is part of Warren’s communications team and is responsible for everything from writing press releases and coordinating interviews to pitching stories to reporters or providing the public with background information on pending legislation. Robles also helps manage Warren’s social media platforms, so is deeply involved with both traditional and digital communications for the senator.

Robles is also proud to be the current president of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA), an official, bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Staff Organization, whose mission is to recruit, retain, and advance Hispanic staffers in the Senate and House of Representatives. CHSA supports its members by providing professional development, networking opportunities, job placement, and mentorship for Latinx individuals working in Congress. The group has over 400 members in Washington DC and across the country.

“I think the best part of my job is that my work can make a difference in the lives of lots of people,” says Robles. “I’m just one person, but I work for a senator that is always fighting for the right things.”

As an example of the work she takes so much pride in, Robles points to the Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022. “That bill included the biggest investment to fight climate change ever. It also included provisions to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A lot of work went into that—a whole year of negotiations between lawmakers.”

“The staff played a really critical role in making it happen,” says Robles. “On my end, I drafted tweets about the difference this bill would make, and now that it’s passed, I continue to highlight the ways that people are benefiting from it. That’s one of my favorite things about my job. I’m able to fight for what I stand for and help make a difference.”

Born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, Robles’ family moved to Southern California when she was five years old, eventually settling in Pomona. She learned English while attending elementary school, showing the determination and hard work that have guided her ever since.

Robles didn’t always have her sights set on a career in politics. Upon graduating from high school in Pomona, she was accepted into CSUDH as a first-generation college student, majoring in international business. She soon discovered that business courses weren’t her thing and switched her major to a subject she had long had a passion for—art.

Robles’ mother was active in politics, having served as a local councilwoman for the National Action Party when the family was still living in Mexico. At her mother’s urging, Robles added a second major in political science to her art courses. “She wanted me to study something else as well, so I could get a good job after college,” she laughs. “I was like, ‘Okay, fine, Mom, I will study politics, too.’ It’s a subject that I also really enjoyed.”

While studying at CSUDH, Robles grew more and more involved with the campus community. She volunteered in the Associated Students, Inc. office and found student government interesting and exciting. Robles also served as the president of the CSUDH Political Science Club and co-founded the CSUDH Arts Collective, the first art club on campus.

Robles got her feet wet in national politics while still a Toro undergraduate. She interned at the San Pedro district office of Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán and found herself drawn to the work and the atmosphere. “I really enjoyed that experience. I thought this was something I could really see myself doing.”

After spending a year abroad studying international relations in London, England, Robles wanted to resume her work in politics. She landed a summer internship in Rep. Barragán’s Washington office and found that she felt right at home. “It felt like I was living a dream,” says Robles.

In 2018, following her internship in Washington, she returned to Southern California to finish her last semester at CSUDH. While attending school as a full-time student, she interned on the congressional campaign of Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., who was running for a recently vacated seat in a battleground district covering Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.

When Cisneros won the election, Robles stayed with his team, moving back to DC to serve as a staff/press assistant. She worked with him for a year before joining Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign in 2019.

“I really wanted to work on a presidential campaign for a candidate that I believed in,” says Robles. “So I applied to work for Senator Warren’s presidential campaign. I didn’t think I would, but I got the job and joined her social media team.” Robles moved up to Boston to work at the campaign headquarters.

A couple of months after Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign ended, Robles saw that a job in the senator’s office had opened up. She applied and got the job as a press assistant. Robles was promoted to deputy press secretary a year later, then into her current role as press secretary.

Going forward, Robles plans to continue on her current path and see where it takes her. “I can’t really see myself not working in politics. There are just so many different levels to explore.”

For Robles, the most important lesson to be learned from her success is, “Don’t be afraid to dream too big! You can do it. I never thought that a person like me, an immigrant from Mexico, would end up in a place like this, working in Congress. You’ve just got to dream big and go for it!”

Daily Breeze: CSUDH Kicks Off Graduation Ceremonies with Long Beach Mayor as 1st Keynote Speaker

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Decorated floral graduation caps at 2023 Commencement

Source: Daily Breeze

Cal State Dominguez Hills kicked off two days of commencement ceremonies on Friday morning, May 19 — with an alum-turned-political leader serving as the keynote speaker.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, who was elected to that post in November, addressed the colleges of Arts and Humanities, and Education on Friday, empowering the class of 2023 to work to change their communities for the better.

The ceremony at which  Richardson spoke was the first of six, with three taking place Friday and the final three set for Saturday. State Attorney General Rob Bonta is slated to address CSUDH’s College of Business Administration and Public Policy during its commencement ceremony, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

In all, the class of 2023 comprises more than 3,300 students, with more than 40,000 guests expected to attend the ceremonies at Dignity Sports Health Park’s tennis stadium, in Carson.

“Because of the leadership development legacy right here at Cal State Dominguez Hills, we have an opportunity to reimagine and renegotiate the covenant with our communities throughout our region,” Richardson said in his address, “to shape a future where our families and our youth can reach their full potential. You’re all a part of that legacy now.”

The mayor originally enrolled for classes at CSUDH as an 18-year-old in 2001. He was elected president of Associated Students, Inc. during his time there. But left the university a few years later, several credits shy of completing his degree, after he accepted a full-time job as a community organizer with a local labor union.

Years later — after rising up the city government ranks and winning a seat on the Long Beach City Council — Richardson returned to CSUDH and finished out his degree, earning a bachelor’s of art in philosophy in 2020.

Richardson represented Long Beach’s Ninth District for two terms before getting elected as mayor in November. He also served two terms as vice mayor — a total of four years — under his mayoral predecessor, current U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia.

Richardson has often talked about the leadership skills he developed at CSUDH.

“We’re proud of what the class of 2023 has accomplished and overcome — we all witnessed as you overcame incredible challenges,” Richardson said, referencing the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. “You confronted your generation-defining struggles.”

“By diving into uncertainty, you found grit and a spirit of determination to make a difference,” he added. “Despite your plight, you overcame — you understood the assignment.

Now, Richardson said, it’s time to celebrate. And after that, the mayor said, the graduates should make a difference in the world.

“Class of 2023, I want to empower you to go forth into the world and seek the opportunities in uncertainty,” Richardson said. “Know who you’re meant to be, stand up for what you believe, chart your own path and most importantly —  make a difference in the lives of the next generation.”

Toro Makes an Impact as Youth Commissioner

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Ricardo Martinez with fellow youth commissioners at an outreach event in 2022.
Ricardo Martinez, center right, with fellow youth commissioners at an outreach fair in September 2022.

At 23, CSUDH junior Ricardo Ortega Martinez Jr. is already a veteran in California politics. “My advocacy and community organizing started at the age of 17,” says Martinez, a political science major whose early experience with foster care growing up in Huntington Park helped shape the focus of his current advocacy work.

Martinez serves as youth commissioner for California’s 5th District, which encompasses much of Antelope Valley and northeastern Los Angeles County. The Youth Commission was established in September 2021 by the Board of Supervisors to promote involvement by young people in public policy decisions.

Youth commission members have direct experience with foster care, juvenile justice, homelessness, and other social service systems. This is critical for finding more equitable ways to serve the needs of system-impacted youth, Martinez says.

“The county has highly educated, capable people heading social service departments, but they’ve never been a part of the system they work in,” says Martinez. “How can you create long-lasting and positive change when you have never experienced what you’re trying to implement?”

Since the start of his term as a youth commissioner, Martinez has focused on evaluating service systems in his district. His elevation to co-chair of the commission in elections held last month will now expand his portfolio countywide. It’s the kind of work that first drew him to public service as a teenager.

In his sophomore year at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, Martinez was selected by then-State Senator Ricardo Lara (CA-33) for the district’s Young Senators Program. The eight-month program gives young people the chance to explore potential professional and educational opportunities to nurture the next generation of state leaders.

“As a former system-impacted youth, I had a specific area that I wanted to focus on. That helped me to make the right choices to reach my goals,” recalls Martinez. One of those choices included working with California Youth Connection, an organization that empowers local communities to improve the state’s foster care system through changes in legislation, policy, and practice.

“I worked on AB-2247 with Assemblyman Mike Gipson (CA-65), who authored the bill. This legislation required 14 days prior notice of a change in placement,” Martinez says. “It fundamentally improved the structures in place for determining how and under what circumstances young people could be removed from placement.”

Martinez continues to partner with Gipson on legislative matters as a member of the assemblyman’s Immigration Commission, where he advises on how best to meet the needs of the South Bay’s undocumented population. Gipson said Martinez’ keen interest in public policy has made him an effective voice for some of California’s most vulnerable residents.

“Ricardo Martinez has exhibited a strong interest in his community and the issues surrounding immigration,” says Gipson. “He has contributed greatly to my immigration Commission. He has a passion for fighting injustice and uplifting disenfranchised populations.”

Martinez with Assemblywoman Kathryn Barger (CA-5).
Martinez, right, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger (CA-5).

Martinez’ passion both for politics and advocacy struck a chord with Shari Berkowitz, associate professor of Criminal Justice Administration at CSUDH. She taught Martinez last fall in her online CJA 444 Juvenile Justice Process course, which Martinez took to help him better understand the issues facing young people in the juvenile justice system.

“He has an impressive background. Considering he’s so young and had a tough start, I think he’s very inspiring for our campus.” Berkowitz adds that his commitment to advocacy extends to his fellow Toros. “He’s involved in the Toro Guardian Scholars program, where he brings his knowledge and compassion to assist other system-impacted youth enrolled at CSUDH.”

Martinez says that despite his expanding role as co-chair, he remains committed to serving specific needs in the Antelope Valley. This month he helped launch the Peer Specialist Program to train system-impacted youth for employment in the human services sector. 

In partnership with America Job Centers of California, the program will begin with a cohort of 10 individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 who have lived experience in social service systems and can commit to working in mental health services.

“We’re going to teach them everything,” says Martinez. “Participants will be placed on job sites with mental health providers, or with organizations that coordinate specific events related to mental health. They will see what works and doesn’t work from both sides.”

Martinez says a primary goal for the training is to get participants to commit to remaining in the Antelope Valley area once they find a job. “These kinds of opportunities have been missing in this area.”

Martinez says his future in politics might include a run for his local school board and eventually the county’s Board of Supervisors. Whatever role he ultimately chooses, he will continue to focus on the needs of at-risk and system-impacted youth.

“I was in and out of foster care and group homes as a child. Now I have a career in public service, a new home in Quartz Hills, and I’ll soon by a first-generation college graduate,” says Martinez. “I’ve been able to do all these things despite my early hardships. I want all young people to know that they can do these things as well.”

Daily Breeze: With Karen Bass, Rex Richardson Mayor-Elects, CSUDH Counts 5 LA County Mayors as Alumni

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Karen Bass, CSUDH President Parham, and former Consul General of Japan Akira Muto.
Karen Bass, President Parham, and then-Consul General of Japan Akira Muto at the Japan Jobs Training Program launch at CSUDH in May 2022. Mayor-Elect Karen Bass, received a BA in Health Science from CSUDH in 1990 and was recently elected as the first female Mayor of LA.

Source: Daily Breeze

When Karen Bass and Rex Richardson are sworn in as the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach, respectively, Cal State Dominguez Hills, near Carson, will have something particularly special to boast about:

Five alumni will serve as mayors in LA County.

Bass will soon make history as the first female mayor of America’s second-largest city and Richardson will pave the way as Long Beach’s first Black mayor.

They join the ranks of fellow alumni – affectionately known as the ‘Toros’ – Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas and Compton Mayor Emma Sharif.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, the state senator and assemblymember for the districts that represent Carson also attended Dominguez Hills. Recently elected 62nd District Assemblymember Tina McKinnor took classes at CSUDH from 2005 to 2009, while 35th District Sen. Steven Bradford graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1985.

These collective achievements would be notable for any university — but are especially significant at CSUDH.

That’s partly because CSUDH is a public university and not an elite institution that only takes “top-tier” students. And all five CSUDH alumni who are or will become mayors are people of color who come from humble beginnings and worked their way up to where they are today.

“You now have seen the impact of making education affordable and accessible in our communities,” Richardson said in a recent interview, “because you have people who wanted to serve but they just needed access to the educational opportunities and the resources to make a difference.”

CSUDH, the mayor-elect added, “should be highlighted and lifted up as a national standard on quality community-based higher education.”

CSUDH accepts more than 80% of students and has a student body that is 87% people of color. Nearly 50% of the university’s population are first-generation college students.

“One of the things I’m proudest of is that we don’t judge our worth and merit based on our selectivity ratios,” said CSUDH President Thomas Parham. “We try to make sure that we are not simply replicating privilege, but see if we can provide the most access to students possible.”

A key benefit of Dominguez Hill’s access-focused admission policy is that it produces leaders from within their own communities, Parham said. And those leaders also have first-hand experience of the problems facing their constituents.

Davis-Holmes, for example, was a teen mother when she enrolled at CSUDH. She earned her bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and sociology in 1983, her master of public administration degree in 1992 — and spent 27 years working her way up the ranks in Carson.

“When I hear that something is wrong, I’ve already lived it,” she said recently. “I lived the good, the bad and the ugly because I live here and I came up from the bottom, from a volunteer teen mother all the way to the mayor of the city of Carson.”

Lula Davis-Holmes and President Parham at the Memorandum of Understanding signing between CSUDH and the City of Carson in July 2021.
Lula Davis-Holmes and President Parham at the Memorandum of Understanding signing between CSUDH and the City of Carson in July 2021.

Davis-Holmes said that she loved the “family atmosphere” on campus and that the support, flexibility and understanding of her teachers was essential to her success.

“When I was struggling, I always knew I had a mentor on campus that would help me,” she said, “and knew that I was a mother, a wife, and understood my situation.”

Richardson also overcame hurdles to be where he is today. He grew up with divorced parents who experienced job and housing instability and, as a result, he attended 14 public schools across five states.

When he applied to CSUDH in 2001, his GPA didn’t meet the criteria for admission, Richardson said.

Nevertheless, the school put faith in him, by offering him admission through the Educational Opportunity Program – an initiative of the Cal State University system that admits underserved students under special circumstances, if they demonstrate a drive to succeed.

“Circumstances are places people come from,” Parham said, “but not who they are at the core of their being.”

CSUDH, he said, focuses on every student’s individual potential regardless of their background.

As a result, Parham added, the university tends to attract students who are committed to community mindedness and social justice.

Richardson is an example of this. He excelled at Dominguez Hills, becoming student body president, founding the Black Business Students Association, and working on state Assembly and Carson City Council campaigns.

Rex Richardson and family with former CSUDH Athletic Director Dena Freeman-Patton at CSUDH Homecoming in Feb 2022.
Rex Richardson and family with former CSUDH Athletic Director Dena Freeman-Patton at CSUDH Homecoming in Feb 2022.

Those experiences, Richardson said, are what led him to become the youngest councilmember in Long Beach history and now the first Black mayor.

“That spark, for me, was ignited at Cal State Dominguez Hills,” Richardson said.

Civic and community engagement is a key part of the educational philosophy at CSUDH, not just for those studying political science, but also for students in all degree programs, Parham said.

This can be seen in the breadth of programs that the alumni mayors studied, he added. Bass, whose communications representatives were not able to provide a comment by deadline, received a bachelor’s degree in health science in 1990; Vargas received a bachelor’s degree in physics 1995; and Richardson, under the flexibility allowed by CSUDH, just recently completed the final coursework for his bachelor’s degree in 2020.

The university’s history is rooted the social justice movement.

The school first opened on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1965, but was quickly relocated to Carson in an attempt to open greater economic opportunity for residents of South Central Los Angeles following the Watts riots.

The school has proven highly successful in this mission and currently ranks second in the nation for producing economic mobility, according to public policy think tank Third Way. And because of the relatively low-cost of attending a CSU, students leave the university without being saddled with debt.

The social-justice focus, meanwhile, continues permeating into classrooms today, Parham said.

“Some (students) in business might say, ‘Let me go banking because I need to create more economic empowerment and not just enrich my own coffers,’” Parham said. “Someone may go into health care because, you know, health services will allow our people to get what ought to be a right rather than a privilege.”

Another commonality across all programs is a deep community connection as students work on service projects and participate in internships and apprenticeships with local companies.

Around 60% of CSUDH graduates live within a 25-mile radius of campus. The school is also a top producer of teachers for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Not only do we have people who come from the communities that we serve,” Parham said, “but we have a campus that is committed to being engaged in the community.”

Going forward, Parham said, he hopes that the impressive student outcomes at CSUDH help lead to a change in how America ranks universities – by focusing on the number of lives these institutions transform instead of the exclusivity of their admissions.

He is also looking forward to seeing the continued work of CSUDH alumni as mayors and state representatives.

“These policymakers, these public servants, who are committed to making their communities better, I love the fact that their dreams and aspirations were nurtured in the soil that represents CSUDH,” Parham said. “I think that’s a feather in the cap not only for Dominguez Hills, but more broadly for the California State University system as a whole, that is committed to doing that kind of transformative work.”

Toros Take Local Mayoral Races

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Toros Take Local Mayoral Races
CSUDH alumni Los Angeles Mayor-elect Karen Bass and Long Beach Mayor-elect Rex Richardson.

After days of vote counting, CSUDH alumni Karen Bass and Rex Richardson have scored major victories in a pair of closely-watched mayoral races in Los Angeles and Long Beach, respectively. Their wins clearly demonstrate how Toros have become important players in Southern California politics—when they take office, CSUDH alumni will hold mayorships in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Carson, Compton, and Hawthorne.

Bass (BS, Health Science, ’90) defeated billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso to win the Los Angeles mayor’s race, and had built an “insurmountable lead” of 47,000 votes when the race was called in her favor on Wednesday, Nov. 16. When sworn into office, she will become Los Angeles’ first woman mayor. Bass had placed first in the primary election held in June, but the race was close enough that it took over a week to discover the voters’ ultimate verdict.

In a statement announcing her win, Bass said, “The people of Los Angeles have sent a clear message: it is time for change and it is time for urgency. I am honored and humbled that the people have chosen me to be the next Mayor of Los Angeles.”

“Los Angeles is the greatest city on earth,” she continued. “I know, if we come together, hold each other accountable, and focus on the best of who we are and what we can achieve, we can create better neighborhoods today and a better future for our children. We will get big things done together.”

In Long Beach, current Vice Mayor Richardson (BA, Philosophy, ’20) was leading fellow Long Beach City Council member Suzie Price by a margin of 55 percent to 44 percent when Price conceded the race on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Like Bass, Richardson had placed first in the June primary, and was able to maintain that momentum through election day. Richardson will become Long Beach’s first Black mayor.

Richardson reacted to his win by saying, ““As Long Beach’s next mayor, I will focus on tackling our city’s biggest challenges and working daily to make city hall more responsive to residents’ needs. I look forward to getting started with our transition.”

“Not often do you hear stories like mine, where someone can come here as a young man, become the youngest city council member, become the youngest vice mayor … and break barriers as the first African American mayor. Long Beach is a special city like that.”

Richardson unveiled the members of his transition team on Wednesday, a group of local leaders and dignitaries which includes CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “Mayor-elect Richardson is a hard-working and dedicated public servant of tremendous integrity and character,” said Parham. “I am honored to be invited and look forward to serving on the mayor-elect’s transition team. Education needs to be at the table, and I am delighted to see that the mayor-elect recognizes that the hope of any community partially rests with the investments made in the educational institutions that serve the people.”

Both Bass and Richardson will be sworn into their new offices in December.

In other Toro election news, alumna Khaleah Bradshaw (BA, ’10, MA, ’12) won her election to remain city clerk for the City of Carson.