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By Tanu Henry and Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media
Gloria Molina, the first Latina to serve become a member of the California Assembly and on the first to serve on the L.A. City Council and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has died of terminal cancer. She was 74.
“It is with heavy hearts our family announces Gloria’s passing this evening,” said Molina’s daughter Valentina Martinez in a statement. “She passed away at her home in Mt. Washington, surrounded by family.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass paid tribute to Molina.
“Gloria Molina was a force for unapologetic good and transformational change in Los Angeles,” wrote Bass in a statement. “As an organizer, a City Councilwoman, a County Supervisor and State Assemblywoman, Supervisor Molina advocated for those who did not have a voice in government through her pioneering environmental justice work, her role as a fiscal watchdog, and her advocacy for public health.
Bass said Molina “shaped Los Angeles in a lasting way while paving the way for future generations of leaders.”
“As the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, I know I stand on Supervisor Molina’s shoulders,” Bass acknowledged.
