Alberto Torrico
Encyclopedia
Alberto Torrico is a member of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. He formerly represented the 20th Assembly District which includes Fremont
, Newark
, Union City
and Milpitas
among other cities in the East Bay
. A Democrat
, former Assemblyman Torrico served in both the Hispanic Caucus as his father is from Bolivia
and the Asian Pacific Island Caucus as his mother is Japan
ese. This made him the first California state assemblyman to serve in two different ethnic caucuses.
Alberto Torrico currently sat on the governmental organization committee,Utilities and Commerce committee, and Public Employees, Retirement & Social Securtity committee. He is also the chair of the Select Committee on Safety and Protection.
Torrico ran unsuccessfully for California's Attorney General in 2010
.
in Fremont, California where he was one of the Mission Valley Athletic League’s best soccer players. Torrico became the first member of his family to graduate from college when he earned his Bachelor of Science
degree in political science
from Santa Clara University
. He went on to earn a J.D.
from University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Supervisor Ron Gonzales
. He specialized in labor law
at Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfield in Oakland
and Los Angeles
, taught labor and employment law at San Jose City College
, and served as assistant general counsel at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
in San Jose
. In 2001, he opened a private law practice in Fremont where he worked with unions, took individual employee-rights cases and did criminal defense work, incorporations for small business, wills and trusts.
In his second term Torrico was appointed Chair of the Governmental Organization Committee. Torrico was later named Director for Majority Affairs. In this role Torrico was responsible for major Democratic legislative initiatives and for Democratic Caucus development. In May 2008, Torrico was tapped by Speaker Bass to become Assembly Majority Leader. He successfully authored legislation to increase public safety by establishing statewide standards for EMT certifications, disciplinary orders and conditions of probation. Since being elected to the Assembly, Torrico has authored 47 measures that were passed by the Legislature and 32 of them were signed into law by California's Republican Governor, Schwarzenegger.
Torrico's legislative priorities in his third and final term in the assembly included passing the safe surrender bill which allows parents, within 30 days of giving birth, to safely surrender their child over to a designated safe surrender location. Other legislation ranged from good government reform bills to oil extraction fees to fund higher education.
A bill he authored, AB 656 – Fair Share for Fair Tuition – proposes to raise funds for California’s public higher education system by charging a 12.5% tax on oil extracted within California. AB 656 is estimated to raise $2 billion annually for the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems.
Torrico also co-authored a bill to bypass environmental quality regulations to build a stadium in Los Angeles
. The bill, benefiting the efforts of developer Edward P. Roski
to get the National Football League
was controversial with many environmentalists and legislators. Further controversy ensued when it was announced that Roski had given over $500,000 to political campaigns, including $5,000 to Assemblyman Torrico.
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, Newark
Newark, California
Newark is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in September 1955. Newark is an enclave, completely surrounded by the city of Fremont. Its population was 42,573 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Union City
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
and Milpitas
Milpitas, California
Milpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is a suburb of the major city of San Jose, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south...
among other cities in the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, former Assemblyman Torrico served in both the Hispanic Caucus as his father is from Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and the Asian Pacific Island Caucus as his mother is Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. This made him the first California state assemblyman to serve in two different ethnic caucuses.
Alberto Torrico currently sat on the governmental organization committee,Utilities and Commerce committee, and Public Employees, Retirement & Social Securtity committee. He is also the chair of the Select Committee on Safety and Protection.
Torrico ran unsuccessfully for California's Attorney General in 2010
California Attorney General election, 2010
The 2010 California Attorney General election was held on November 2, 2010 to choose the Attorney General of California. The primary election was held on June 8, 2010...
.
Early life and education
Torrico attended Irvington High SchoolIrvington High School (Fremont, California)
Irvington High School is an American public high school located in Fremont, California. It is one of five public high schools in the Fremont Unified School District.-Campus:...
in Fremont, California where he was one of the Mission Valley Athletic League’s best soccer players. Torrico became the first member of his family to graduate from college when he earned his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
. He went on to earn a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Legal career
Torrico was admitted to the California State Bar in 1996. His career in public service began as a policy aide for Santa Clara CountySanta Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
Supervisor Ron Gonzales
Ron Gonzales
Ronald R. Gonzales is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Mayor of San Jose since California became a U.S. state in 1850.-Career:...
. He specialized in labor law
Labour law
Labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...
at Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfield in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, taught labor and employment law at San Jose City College
San Jose City College
San Jose City College, founded in 1921, is a community college located in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California.San Jose City College was originally called San Jose Junior College and operated in downtown San Jose, California...
, and served as assistant general counsel at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. In 2001, he opened a private law practice in Fremont where he worked with unions, took individual employee-rights cases and did criminal defense work, incorporations for small business, wills and trusts.
Early Public Service
An incident in law school inspired him to focus on public service and civil rights. As a volunteer at a legal clinic, he represented a Central American immigrant who had been denied more than $10,000 in overtime pay. The client wanted to settle the case for $3,000, but Torrico persuaded him to hold out and won a $10,000 settlement. The grateful client thanked him and called him a role model for other young Latinos.Newark City Council
Torrico was elected to the Newark City Council in 2001 and was subsequently elected by his colleagues on the City Council as the new Vice-Mayor of Newark. Even in tough economic times, Torrico worked to keep the city budget balanced while still fighting for his top priorities. He championed the creation of affordable housing and the development of regional solutions to the area's traffic problems. Torrico is proudest of his work to expand city-sponsored educational programs that give teens a chance to "drop-in," instead of dropping out. The son of immigrants, Torrico worked hard to give children opportunities they may not have had.California State Assembly
Torrico was elected to the California state Assembly in 2004 to succeed term-limited John Dutra. Torrico is the first legislator to join two ethnic caucuses: the Legislative Latino Caucus and the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus. In his first term 17 of his bills were signed into law, an extraordinary feat for a freshman legislator. As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security (PERSS) he led the battle to defeat Gov. Schwarzenegger’s drive to privatize public pensions and to eliminate benefits to the widows of fallen police officers and firefighters.In his second term Torrico was appointed Chair of the Governmental Organization Committee. Torrico was later named Director for Majority Affairs. In this role Torrico was responsible for major Democratic legislative initiatives and for Democratic Caucus development. In May 2008, Torrico was tapped by Speaker Bass to become Assembly Majority Leader. He successfully authored legislation to increase public safety by establishing statewide standards for EMT certifications, disciplinary orders and conditions of probation. Since being elected to the Assembly, Torrico has authored 47 measures that were passed by the Legislature and 32 of them were signed into law by California's Republican Governor, Schwarzenegger.
Torrico's legislative priorities in his third and final term in the assembly included passing the safe surrender bill which allows parents, within 30 days of giving birth, to safely surrender their child over to a designated safe surrender location. Other legislation ranged from good government reform bills to oil extraction fees to fund higher education.
A bill he authored, AB 656 – Fair Share for Fair Tuition – proposes to raise funds for California’s public higher education system by charging a 12.5% tax on oil extracted within California. AB 656 is estimated to raise $2 billion annually for the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems.
Torrico also co-authored a bill to bypass environmental quality regulations to build a stadium in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The bill, benefiting the efforts of developer Edward P. Roski
Edward P. Roski
Edward P. Roski, Jr. is an American real estate businessman in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Roski was born in Oklahoma and raised in Southern California. He is a graduate of Loyola High School and the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, where in 1962 he earned a...
to get the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
was controversial with many environmentalists and legislators. Further controversy ensued when it was announced that Roski had given over $500,000 to political campaigns, including $5,000 to Assemblyman Torrico.