PRESS RELEASE: Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Reyes Kicks Off Campaign for Senate with Broad Support from State and Inland Empire Elected Officials
The 1st Latina to Serve as Majority Leader, Eloise Reyes Announces Her Commitment to Continue Fighting for People Across the Inland Empire in the State Senate
2/13/2023
(Colton, CA) - — Democratic Majority Leader Eloise Reyes officially launched her campaign for the open 29th Senate District today, where she has represented more than two thirds of its constituents in the Assembly. As a daughter of immigrants, attorney, and dedicated public servant, Eloise Reyes has spent her life standing up for her community and putting people first.
“My top priority is serving our community and putting the needs of everyday people first, not corporations or special interests,” said Majority Leader Reyes. “I’m proud of my 35-year record of getting things done for working people and supporting families, small businesses, veterans, youth, and seniors.”
“As a daughter of immigrants who worked the fields as a 12-year old and took on three jobs after high school to put myself through college, I know all too well the struggles facing working people,” Reyes continued. “That’s why throughout my career as an attorney, public servant, and Assembly Majority Leader, I’ve worked to deliver results that make a difference for our community here in the Inland Empire, and it’s why I’m committed to doing more in the State Senate. I’m honored to have earned the support of so many of our local and state leaders for this effort.”
Entering the race with a solid coalition of state and local leaders, Majority Leader Reyes is the strongest choice to represent the new and open 29th Senate District. Today, the campaign for Eloise Reyes has proudly announced the following endorsements of 5 state elected officials, 68 current and former legislators, and 15 current and former elected officials from communities within SD-29:
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis
Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond
State Controller Malia Cohen
State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
President of the Board of Equalization Antonio Vasquez
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
Assemblymember (Ret.) Wilmer Amina Carter
State Senator (Ret.) Connie Leyva
San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran
Assembly Speaker Designate Robert Rivas
Assemblymember Akilah Weber
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi
Assemblymember Alex Lee
Assemblymember Ash Kalra
Assemblymember Avelino Valencia
Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco
Assemblymember Brian Maienschein
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks
Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Assemblymember Chris Holden
Assemblymember Chris Ward
Assemblymember Corey Jackson
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris
Assemblymember Damon Connolly
Assemblymember David Alvarez
Assemblymember Diane Papan
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria
Assemblymember Gregg Hart
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin
Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal
Assemblymember Juan Carillo
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty
Assemblymember Laura Friedman
Assemblymember Lisa Calderon
Assemblymember Liz Ortega
Assemblymember Lori Wilson
Assemblymember Luz Rivas
Assemblymember Marc Berman
Assemblymember Matt Haney
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago
Assemblymember Mike Fong
Assemblymember Mike Gipson
Assemblymember Phil Ting
Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer
Assemblymember Rick Zbur
Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes
Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva
Assemblymember Steve Bennett
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath
Assemblymember Tim Grayson
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor
Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo
Assemblymember (Ret.) Wilmer Amina Carter
State Senator Ben Allen
State Senator Bob Archuleta
State Senator Catherine Blakespear
State Senator Anna Caballero
State Senator Dave Cortese
State Senator Bill Dodd
State Senator Maria Elena Durazo
State Senator Lena Gonzalez
State Senator Melissa Hurtado
State Senator John Laird
State Senator Caroline Menjivar
State Senator Dave Min
State Senator Josh Newman
State Senator Richard Roth
State Senator Henry Stern
State Senator Tom Umberg
State Senator (Ret.) Connie Leyva
State Senator (Ret.) Bob Wieckowski
San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran
San Bernardino Mayor (Fmr.) Pat Morris
San Bernardino Councilmember Ben Reynoso
San Bernardino Councilmember Sandra Ibarra
Colton Mayor Frank Navarro
Colton Councilmember (Dr. G) Dr. Luis S. Gonzalez
Colton Councilmember David J. Toro
Fontana Councilmember Jesse Sandoval
Loma Linda Councilmember Bhavin Jindal
Ontario Councilmember Ruben Valencia Redlands Mayor Eddie Tejeda
Redlands Councilmember Mario Saucedo
Redlands Councilmember Denise Davis
Fontana Unified School Boardmember Mary Sandoval
San Bernardino Community College District Trustee John Longville
San Bernardino Community College District Trustee Gloria Macias Harris
In 2016, Eloise Reyes began her career in the Assembly after she took on an incumbent and won. As an Assemblymember, Eloise has made it a priority to invest in our communities, ensuring clean air, access to healthcare, and good-paying jobs, and securing hundreds of millions of dollars in much needed resources for Inland Empire neighborhoods. In 2020, as a recognition of her progressive leadership and tireless work ethic, Eloise made history by becoming the first Latina to serve as Majority Leader in the Assembly.
Prior to her election in the Assembly, Eloise worked as an attorney, becoming the first Latina in the Inland Empire to open her own law firm and taking on big corporations on behalf of injured workers. Deeply involved in strengthening her community, she regularly volunteered to provide free legal services to struggling families and seniors, and she led a successful effort to stop the construction of a toxic waste dump in a residential neighborhood. Eloise also co-founded the Inland Empire Community Health Center and taught classes at Cal Poly Pomona.
###
Eloise Reyes is a daughter of immigrants and attorney who currently serves as Assembly Majority Leader. Born and raised in the Inland Empire, Eloise has always delivered for her community and vows to continue making a difference by delivering results that put people first.
The 29th Senate District, an open seat previously represented by former Senator Connie Leyva, is based in the Inland Empire and contains the cities of San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Bloomington, Colton, and Redlands, as well as Loma Linda, Rialto, Ontario, Upland, Muscoy, and Highland. Majority Leader Reyes has represented more than two thirds of the 29th Senate District in the Assembly. For more information on Eloise Reyes’ campaign for State Senate, visit EloiseForSenate.com
12/1/2022
Reyes won reelection Nov. 8 to a fourth term in the state Assembly
(San Bernardino Sun) - The top Democrat in the California State Assembly is looking to make a change.
“I am proud to announce that I have opened a committee stating my intention to run for the California State Senate’s 29th District in 2024,” Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, said in a news release Thursday, Dec. 1.
She has served in the Assembly since 2016 and won reelection to a fourth term on Nov. 8. If she wins the Senate seat in 2024, Reyes will be eligible for a single four-year term, due to state term limits for legislators.
Reyes currently represents Assembly District 50, which includes the unincorporated community of Bloomington and all of Loma Linda and Colton, plus parts of Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino.
Should Reyes be elected to represent Senate District 29, her constituency would change slightly. She’d represent the cities of Rialto and San Bernardino and parts of Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and Upland, along with a currently unpopulated portion of Loma Linda.
“This state Senate seat consists almost entirely of communities I have previously or am currently representing in the state Assembly,” Reyes continued in the news release. “Our campaign looks forward to making the case to the people of the Inland Empire that we can continue delivering critical resources to the region. We will continue leading on important issues such as providing quality jobs to our residents, resources for infrastructure, and environmental justice.”
Reyes promised a formal announcement of her candidacy — as opposed to Thursday’s announcement of the formation of a campaign committee — in the future, along with endorsements and her “inclusive vision” for Senate District 29.
“We can ensure that the Inland Empire receives our fair share of resources, and does so without leaving anyone behind,” she concluded, echoing the arguments made by proponents of San Bernardino County’s Measure EE, which alleged that legislators in Sacramento and Washington were not sending San Bernardino County its “fair share” of resources. Reyes and other state legislators blasted the claim in a joint letter before the election.
Reyes’ announcement is likely an attempt to scare off other would-be candidates for the new 29th District, which was created last December as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process.
“It appears like the early announcement is intended to deter any potential opponents and position herself as the most prominent candidate,” Marcia Godwin, a professor of public administration at University of La Verne, wrote in an email Thursday evening. “Even so, her past history indicates that she is not afraid to compete against same-party opponents.”
Reyes ran for Congress in 2014 when Pete Aguilar was elected and then defeated incumbent Cheryl Brown for Assembly in the next election cycle.
The senate seat also offers Reyes future possibilities.
“While Reyes is currently part of the Assembly leadership team, the next speaker of the Assembly has already been selected and there may be limited opportunities to gain more influence,” Godwin wrote.
In November, Assembly Democrats announced that Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, would be the next speaker, starting in January.
“The state senate seat could be an appealing next step with its larger constituency and being one of 40 members instead of 80,” Godwin wrote. “It could either cap off her career or open up more possibilities for 2028, if Reyes is really thinking that far ahead.”