Norma Torres is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician. She is currently a member of the California State Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

, representing the 61st

California's 61st State Assembly district

California's 61st State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Norma Torres of Pomona.-District profile:...

 district which includes the cities of Pomona

Pomona, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...

, Montclair

Montclair, California

Montclair is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 36,664 at the 2010 United States Census.The current mayor is Paul M. Eaton.-Description:...

, Ontario

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

, and Chino

Chino, California

Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....

. She is 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...

.

Torres was born in Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

. When she was five, her mother died, and she, her father, and her two brothers relocated to 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...

. She worked as a 911

911

Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...

 dispatcher

Dispatcher

Dispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...

, where in 1994 she led a campaign to require the hiring of bilingual 911 operators. She was an active member of AFSCME, serving as local 3090's shop steward. She served on the Pomona city council prior to being elected the city's mayor in 2006. In 2008, she endorsed then-presidential candidate Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 before Hillary Clinton withdrew from the race, and was a superdelegate

Superdelegate

"Superdelegate" is an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party....

 to the Democratic National Convention

2008 Democratic National Convention

The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...

 She was elected to the state assembly in November 2008, filling the vacancy left by former legislator Nell Soto

Nell Soto

Nell Soto was an American politician. Soto represented the 61st Assembly district from 1998 to 2000 and again from 2006 to 2008...

, who retired.

She was 2008/09 Treasurer for the National Conference of Democratic Mayors

National Conference of Democratic Mayors

The National Conference of Democratic Mayors is the representative body of city mayors in the United States affiliated to the Democratic Party, in the same way that the Democratic Governors Association represents state governors within the party....

.

She recently appeared on Gordon Ramsay's

Gordon Ramsay

Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....

 Kitchen Nightmares

Kitchen Nightmares

Kitchen Nightmares is an American reality television series broadcast on the Fox network, in which Chef Gordon Ramsay spends a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. It is based on the British show Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The show is produced by ITV Studios...

, with Lela's restaurant.

External links

• Official site from the California legislature
• http://www.normatorres.com official campaign page