Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) stands in solidarity with the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1260 – representing thousands of TSA screeners across the Western U.S. – that held a press conference today at Sacramento International Airport to demand justice and fairness for TSA officers who missed their first paycheck due to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security government shutdown.
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas - Los Angeles
Senate District
28
Senator Smallwood-Cuevas was elected in 2022 representing the communities of Ladera Heights, View Park, Arlington Heights, Arlington Park, Baldwin Hills, Carthay, Century City, Cheviot Hills, Crenshaw, Del Rey, Downtown, Hyde Park, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Mar Vista, Mid City, South Los Angeles, University Park, West Adams, and West LA.
Lola is an educator, labor organizer, and community. Raised by a single mother who worked as a home care worker, CNA and then registered nurse, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas has life experience of being from a working family who moved to California in search of better education, good union jobs, and a pathway to self-sufficiency.
After graduating from California State University at Hayward, Lola started her career in journalism. Lola’s first union membership was with the Newspaper Guild, where she documented the lives and societal interests of working families. Lola moved on to serve as a researcher and political and community organizer with SEIU Local 1877.
Senator Smallwood-Cuevas co-founded the LA Black Worker Center, where she worked to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and improve industries that employ Black workers through action and unionization. Coining the term Black worker center, the LABWC went on to be a model for the emerging National Black Worker Center Network. L
Lola has served as a Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center, where she directs the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity at Work project. Lola and her work have been recognized nationally by former President Barack Obama, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and many others. She served as the treasurer of the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board and holds various leadership positions within civic organizations.
Lola’s personal and professional goals have always been centered in making California work for vulnerable workers. Her leadership and professional experience have shaped her understanding of politics, public policy, and how to adapt systems change for the betterment of all Californians.
Lola is a wife and mother of two, lives in Los Angeles, and has spent her life’s work changing the tangible conditions for working families in South Los Angeles.
Latest Press Releases
La Senadora Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Ángeles) se solidariza con la Federación Estadounidense de Empleados del Gobierno Local 1260, que representa a miles de inspectores de la Administración de Seguridad (TSA, por sus siglas en inglés), en todo el oeste de los EE. UU., que hoy realizó una conferencia de prensa en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Sacramento para exigir justicia y equidad para los oficiales de la TSA que perdieron su primer cheque de pago debido al cierre del gobierno del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los EE. UU.
California legislators and community leaders united today at the State Capitol for a press conference to announce their support of SCR 89 – authored by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) – that protects and strengthens diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public institutions and workplaces across the state. During the press event, state legislators highlighted how protections to diversity, equity and inclusion help break barriers and open doors of opportunities -- leading to stronger communities and a more inclusive economy. SCR 89 ultimately received a majority approval on the Senate floor.