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Panel advances Padilla bill to create California Latino Commission; advocates stress disparities
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Summary
The committee passed SB 388 (Padilla) to the committee on Appropriations; supporters described the proposal as creating a state Latino commission to guide policy, research and advocacy on Latino economic and social mobility. Supporters cited UCLA LPPI research and multiple measures of disparity during testimony.
The Assembly Governmental Organizations Committee on June 25, 2025, voted to pass SB 388 (Padilla) to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill would establish a California Latino Commission tasked with research, policy recommendations and monitoring of disparities affecting Latino Californians.
Sen. Padilla opened the measure and said the commission would be modeled on existing state commissions such as the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islanders. "This commission will be tasked with making recommendations to the governor and legislature, developing initiatives and monitoring progress and tackling the disparities affecting Latinos," Padilla said.
Dr. Amanda Armenta, director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, testified in support and presented data she said showed persistent disparities for Latinos in areas including education, housing, health and economic mobility. In testimony she attributed several statistics to institute research, saying, for example, that "1 in every 4 Latino Americans in our country lives in California" and that "Latinas in California earn 44¢ on every dollar for white men in California." Those figures were offered as testimony by Dr. Armenta and are presented here as her statements to the committee.
Organizational supporters who spoke during the hearing included Marco De Saraga of La Cooperativa Campesina de California, Alejandro Solis representing Los Amigos a la Comida, Monica Madrid of CHIRLA, Jessica Duong (University of California), Orquidea DeBroy Reyes (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality), and Eric Paredes of the California Faculty Association.
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria spoke in favor of the bill and urged the measure to address intersectional issues, including immigration-related impacts on mental health and homeownership as a route to generational wealth. "Homeownership has been extremely important...that is how we build wealth in our community," Soria said during her remarks.
The committee clerk called the roll on the motion to pass the bill to the Appropriations Committee. The clerk recorded affirmative votes sufficient to pass the measure; the committee record shows the motion carried and SB 388 was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Supporters said the commission would consolidate data and elevate policy work focused on Latino social mobility; no witnesses registered formal opposition in the hearing record provided to the committee clerk. The bill will next be considered by the Appropriations Committee.
