Dean Florez
| Dean Florez | |
|---|---|
| Member of the California Senate from the 16th district |
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In office December 2, 2002 – December 6, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Costa |
| Succeeded by | Michael Rubio |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 30th district |
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In office December 7, 1998 – December 2, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Prenter |
| Succeeded by | Nicole Parra |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 5, 1963 Shafter, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elsa Florez |
| Alma mater |
University of California, Los Angeles Harvard Business School |
| Profession | Politician |
| Website | Political Website |
Dean Raymond Florez (born April 5, 1963, in Shafter, California) was a California State Senator from the 16th Senate District from 2002 until the end of his second term in November 2010.
Florez was born and reared in the Central Valley.
He was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1998 and served two terms. His mostly rural district stretches across 300 miles anchored by the city of Bakersfield in the south and the city of Fresno at its northern tip. On December 1, 2008, he was named Senate Majority Leader by incoming Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).
On April 3, 2009, Florez announced that he would be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor. He later announced his support for eventual winner Gavin Newsom. He currently heads up the 20 Million Minds Foundation, seeking to drive down the rapidly growing cost of a college education by making electronic textbooks widely available.
The grandson of farm laborers, Florez spent his early years in the Colonia outside of the city of Shafter, in Kern County. He graduated from Shafter High School, attended Bakersfield College, and earned his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from UCLA, where he was Student Body President. After graduation, he worked in the Legislature as a legislative and budget consultant. He then went on to receive his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Florez has legislated in areas of clean air, farm worker safety, high-speed rail, and government accountability. He has served as Chairman of numerous committees with jurisdiction over food and agriculture; water, parks and wildlife; banking, commerce and international trade; and government oversight.
Florez sponsored SB 700, which required farms, for the first time ever, to comply with provisions of the Federal Clean Air Act. Other legislation phases out the age-old practice of burning agricultural waste while taking into consideration the needs of farmers to find an alternative disposal method by giving biomass facilities added incentive to take farm waste over urban construction debris.
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