Denise Moreno Ducheny

Denise Moreno Ducheny (born March 21, 1952) is a former California State Senator who represented Senate District 40, which includes southern San Diego County, part of Riverside County, and all of Imperial County. Ducheny is a Democrat. She lives with her husband, Al, in San Diego, California. She is now a senior policy advisor at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego.

Ducheny was born in Los Angeles, California. She graduated with a BA in History from Pomona College. She earned her JD in 1979 from Southwestern University School of Law. After graduation, she practiced law from 1979 in south San Diego, California. Ducheny served on the San Diego Community College Board from 1990 to 1994.

Ducheny served as chair of the California State Assembly in 1994 to 2000. She was the first San Diegan, first woman, and first Latino ever to be appointed to this powerful position overseeing the state's $100 billion spending plan. While in the Assembly, Ducheny served as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee between 1997 and 2000, and as Vice-Chair in 1996. She also served, as Chair of the Select Committee on California-Mexico Affairs, as Co-Chair of the Special Committee on Welfare Reform, as Vice-Chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and as Vice-Chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus.

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