Liz Figueroa (born February 9, 1951)"Liz Figueroa's Biography," Project VoteSmart. Accessed Mar. 13, 2014. Is an American politician who served as a member of the California State Legislature from 1994 to 2006. She is known for being the first Latina from Northern California to be elected to the legislature.
Early life and education Figueroa was born and raised in San Francisco. She is a first generation American and college graduate. Her parents immigrated from El Salvador. She attended the College of San Mateo and University of California, Berkeley.
Career From 1994 to 1998, Figueroa served in the California State Assembly, representing the 20th District. In 1998, she was elected to the California State Senate, replacing Bill Lockyer. She served as a member of the California State Senate, representing the 10th district."Full Biography for Liz Figueroa: Candidate for State Senator; District 10," SmartVoter.org. Accessed Mar. 13, 2014.
As a legislator, Figueroa worked on consumer and health-related issues. She authored legislation requiring insurance companies to cover replacement of children's car seats after collisions, and funding legislation for the San Francisco Bay Trail.
In 2002, Figueroa introduced California Shine the Light law, a bill addressing business practices when disclosing customer's personal information to third parties, a practice known as "list brokerage."California State Legislature. Senate Bill 27, Chaptered version . Filed with the California Secretary of State on September 25, 2003. Retrieved on 11-03-01. In April 2004, Figueroa garnered national attention when she proposed a bill (S.B. 1822)"SB-1822 Privacy: online communications," California Legislative Information website (introduced Feb. 20, 2004). Accessed Apr. 9, 2014. aimed at limiting Google's Gmail service from providing ads to users based in part on the content of their emails."Google free email faces legal challenge," The Guardian (UK) (12 April 2004). After a few months negotiating with privacy groups and Google, Figueroa abandoned the effort.
Figueroa ran for lieutenant governor of California in 2006. In the June 6, 2006, primary election, against fellow state senator Jackie Speier and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. Figueroa received 18% of the vote. Speier received 39%, while Garamendi won the primary with 42%.
After leaving office, Figueroa was appointed by California Senate President Don Perata in 2007 to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
She worked for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte as vice president of public affairs and is now retired.
References
External links California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board Join California Liz Figueroa