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Sonja Diaz in ABC 7 News: “California’s voters still do not reflect the diversity of its people, report says”

“When we look at the avalanche of restrictive voting bills that are being introduced in states across the country, California stands alone,” said UCLA Latino Politics and Policy Initiative founding director, Sonja Diaz. “I say that because state lawmakers have focused on expanding access to the franchise, and the ballot box.”

Sonja Diaz in Los Angeles Times: “Column: Can California Latinos save Democrats in the midterm elections? A new congressional map offers hope”

“Latinos are at the periphery of California politics even though they’re central to the economy and to its future,” Sonja Diaz, founder of UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute, told me. She said Democrats should seek Latino candidates who can speak to the concerns of Latino communities.

Sonja Diaz in SF Gate: “Judge is first Latina nominated to California’s high court”

Despite the growing influence of Latinos, who make up the largest racial or ethnic group of California’s nearly 40 million residents, no Latina has served in a statewide constitutional office or as U.S. senator, said Sonja Diaz, founding director of UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

THE FIRST LATINA TO THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT

Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Judge Patricia Guerrero to the California Supreme Court, making it the first time that a Latina has sat on the state bench. UCLA LPPI joined a group of Latino advocates and legal experts to urge Gov. Newsom to appoint a Latina to the vacancy in a Sept. 24, 2021 letter. UCLA LPPI founding director Sonja Diaz issued the following statement in response to the appointment.

Sonja Diaz in Los Angeles Times: “Rick Caruso has entered the mayor’s race. Will L.A. elect a billionaire?”

Still, Sonja Diaz, director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, cautioned that the Los Angeles of today is starkly different from the city that elected Riordan.

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