Leticia Vasquez Wilson is well-rooted in the 33rd Senate District having been a resident her entire life.
She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her mother, Olga and father Luis brought up six children in Lynwood, all of whom went on to pursue a higher education. Leticia attended Our Lady of Victory School in Compton, St. Pius X High School in Downey and graduated from Lynwood High School.
Early on Leticia made a conscious decision to dedicate her life to public service. She entered the workforce at an early age and as a teenager participated in a Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) youth employment program working at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood. Later, she was employed at the Tweedy Miles Miller’s Outpost in the city of South Gate. She worked her way through college as a teacher’s assistant for Los Angeles Unified School District. On weekends, she worked at Su Casa Familia Crisis & Support Center in Lakewood where she assisted families victimized by domestic violence. Leticia is a proud certified domestic violence and sexual assault counselor.
Leticia would go on to later earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy & Administration from California State University, Long Beach. She earned a second Master’s Degree in Education from Pepperdine University.
After graduating college, Leticia worked for the Young Women’s Christians Association–an organization dedicated to providing services aimed at empowering women and eliminating racism. Her work in the feminist movement took her to Long Beach’s Women’s Shelter. During her time there, she worked with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence helping them complete 52-week programs aimed at ending the cycle of violence that plagued their lives.
A lifelong educator, Leticia started her professional teaching career in 1999 in the Lynwood Unified School District and completed her teacher service at South Gate’s Stanford Elementary School. She has taught undergraduate students in the California Community College system and graduate students at National University. She left teaching for several years after being recruited to work for former U.S. Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally in the California legislature.
In 2005, Vasquez-Wilson made history as the city of Lynwood’s first Latina mayor. During her tenure, she led one of the city’s most aggressive lobbying efforts, bringing millions of dollars for new parks, schools, housing, shopping centers, streets, and a new state-of-the-art senior citizen center.
Leticia is a 2002 alumna of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Leadership Institute (HLI). She is the former president of the Southeast Chapter of National Women’s Political Caucus and currently serves as president of Strong Women Healing Their Community–a women’s organization that hosts an annual women’s empowerment conference during Women’s History month serving communities in the 33rd Senate District. She has been a member of the South Gate Multicultural Women’s Club and Lynwood Women’s Club.
Leticia is active in the Democratic Party and has served eight years as delegate to the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee and California Democratic State Central Committee. In 2007, she was named Democrat of the Year in Assembly District 63. She is a member of the Democratic Women’s Study Club of Long Beach, Yes We Can Democratic Club, and Southeast Democratic Club. She has previously been a member of the Long Beach Young Democrats, Hubert Humphrey Democratic Club, Mexican American Democratic Club, and the New Frontier Democratic Club to name a few.
She has been recognized for her public service by numerous community organizations and elected officials, including the Young Women Christian’s Association.
Director Vasquez has brought numerous water conservation programs into our neighborhoods, including the popular ‘Turf It Out’ program.
She is married to long time civil rights lawyer attorney Ronald Wilson with two adult children.