Fabian Núñez | |
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65th Speaker of the California State Assembly | |
In office February 9, 2004 – May 13, 2008 |
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Governor | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
Preceded by | Herb Wesson |
Succeeded by | Karen Bass |
Member of the California State Assembly from the 46th district |
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In office December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2008 |
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Preceded by | Gil Cedillo |
Succeeded by | John Pérez |
Personal details | |
Born |
San Diego, California, U.S. |
December 27, 1966
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Pitzer College(B.A.) |
Profession | Politician |
Fabian Núñez (Fabián Núñez, Fabian Nuñez and less commonly Fabian Nunez) (born December 27, 1966) is a labor union adviser and Democratic politician. He served three two-year terms as a member of the State Assembly, leaving office in late 2008. During his last two terms, Nunez was the Assembly Speaker, the 66th person to hold that position.
From 1996 to 2000, Fabian Núñez served as the Political Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and, between 2000–2002, was the Government Affairs Director for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Núñez was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 46th district in 2002. Later, on February 9, 2004 he was selected as the Speaker of the California Assembly.
When Núñez was elected, the Los Angeles Times reported that he promised to "foster a spirit of bipartisanship in the Assembly..." He was quoted saying, "We should reestablish this great legislative body as the house of ideas. And more importantly, we must work together for the benefit of all Californians." During his tenure as speaker, the San Francisco Chronicle editorialized that the 2005/2006 "legislative session represented one of the most productive in recent memory."
Throughout his term, Núñez authored several laws critical to the financial and environmental health of California including a $1.25 increase in the minimum wage, and a measure to promote competition among cable television providers.
In August 2005, Núñez traveled to Mexico to meet with the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, other high level government officials, and business leaders. The declared purpose of his journey was to strengthen ties between Mexico and California that he claimed had deteriorated under California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the invitation of Nunez, president Fox eventually traveled to Sacramento and addressed a special joint session of the California State Legislature.