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.