Washington, D.C. – Latino Victory Fund today announced the endorsement of Seattle City Council President Lorena González for Seattle Mayor. González previously made history when she became the first Latina elected to the Seattle City Council, and now, González could become the first Latina and woman of color mayor of Seattle.
Statement from Nathalie Rayes, President and CEO of Latino Victory Fund:
“Lorena González has a proven track record of serving the people of Seattle, as a civil rights attorney and as a twice-elected Seattle City Council member and president of the city council. Growing up in a migrant family working in the fields, Lorena witnessed injustice first-hand, prompting her to dedicate her life to fighting for social justice and equality for underserved communities. She exemplifies the qualities of the proactive leadership we need in government, and she’s shown to be a tried and true leader who has steered legislation in the city council to address systemic inequities. Lorena will not only propose a bold, progressive agenda that works for all Seattleites, but she will also work tirelessly to make it a reality. Latino Victory supports her candidacy because she’s a change-maker who will move Seattle forward.”
Meet Lorena González
Lorena González could become the first Latina and first woman of color to serve as mayor of Seattle, Washington, one of the top 20 largest cities in the country and the second-fastest-growing large city in the United States. González could also become the first Latinx elected as mayor of a major city in the Pacific Northwest. González is running on a platform that centers on economic and social justice, and her top priorities are housing security and affordability, economic recovery and revitalization, policing and community safety, and climate justice.
In 2015, González made history when she became the first Latina elected to the Seattle City Council. In 2017, she overwhelmingly won her re-election and, in 2020, was elected president of the Seattle City Council. On the City Council, González has focused on progressive policies related to labor standards, police accountability, housing, homelessness, land use, and civil rights. She has convened people to pass paid family leave and expand pre-K and LGBTQ rights, protections for victims of sexual abuse, election reforms, and pandemic assistance for workers and small businesses. Her work in public office is rooted in her upbringing. González is a first-generation American raised in a family of migrant farmworkers in Central Washington. She spent her summers and mornings working in the fields with her parents.
When González was 14 and working in a cherry orchard, she heard the sirens of an ambulance driving into the farm. The orchard owner had reportedly brutally beaten a worker for knocking too many leaves off a cherry tree as he picked its fruit. As the ambulance sirens faded away, González promised herself: “If I ever get off these farms, I’m going to stand up for people who can’t do it for themselves. People like me.”
That experience influenced her formative years, fueling her passion for justice and desire to become a civil rights attorney. González worked her way through college, obtained her law degree from Seattle University, and became a civil rights attorney. She spent over a decade working as a civil rights attorney, litigating several high-profile cases against the police department and the school district for infringing upon Latinos’ civil liberties. In addition to this work, González has served as a trial lawyer, police-reform advocate, and former mayoral adviser.
###
The Latino Victory Fund is a progressive political action committee with the mission of growing Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government – from the school board to the Senate to the White House.
