From poverty to power, new California Speaker seeks Democratic caucus unity but offers few details
California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has assumed one of the most influential political offices this month
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas was a child growing up in California’s rural Central Coast, he watched his grandfather risk his job fighting in the farmworkers’ rights movement to bring a better life to his family and his fellow workers.
A Mexican immigrant, his grandfather was the lead organizer for the United Farm Workers at the vineyard where he picked grapes. The union eventually won a labor agreement that provided farmworkers with better working conditions, higher wages and pensions: a victory that helped lift Rivas' family out of poverty.
“The one thing he always shared with me is change doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen," Rivas said of his grandfather.
Rivas, 43, recently became California's first speaker from a rural area in modern times, hailing from the city of Hollister where he lives with his wife and 7-year-old daughter.
Rivas and his allies say his journey from an impoverished home to one of the most powerful positions in California politics will usher in a fresh set of perspectives that could bring people together on issues facing the nation's most populous state.
After a relatively quiet four years in the Assembly focused on agricultural and farmworker issues, Rivas forced his way into the influential office last year despite much resistance from then-Speaker Anthony Rendon, who is still unhappy about how the power struggle played out.
Rivas is now one of three most powerful political figures in California, alongside the governor and Senate president pro tempore. The speaker installs committee chairs, controls what legislation gets voted on and
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