Long Beach Leaders are Readers: Senator Lena Gonzalez, A Voice for the Community
Top leaders of the world have the exceptional simple habit of reading. Whether for enjoyment or enrichment, reading stimulates the mind and fuels creativity. Long Beach Leaders are Readers features leaders in our community as they share their recommended reads.
As we approach the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month in September, we are honored to spotlight Senator Lena A. Gonzalez, a proud Latina leader representing California’s 33rd District, including Southeast Los Angeles, Signal Hill, South Los Angeles, Lakewood, and her hometown of Long Beach. Since her election in 2019, Senator Gonzalez has been a powerful advocate for nearly 1 million residents.
Senator Gonzalez is a strong voice for working families, tirelessly advocating for improved working conditions and elevating the voices of all workers. She prioritizes a clean environment, digital inclusion, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, and the economic vitality of small businesses. Her dedication to these causes, combined with her deep connection to her Latina heritage, makes her an inspiring figure as we celebrate the contributions of Hispanic leaders in our community.
Join us in recognizing Senator Lena A. Gonzalez and her unwavering commitment to creating a better future for all.
The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History
by Manjula Martin
Meet Senator Gonzalez:
What made you choose The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History as your book recommendation?
When Manjula Martin moved from the city to the woods of Northern California, she wanted to be closer to the wilderness that she had loved as a child. She was also seeking refuge from a health crisis that left her with chronic pain, and found a sense of healing through tending her garden beneath the redwoods of Sonoma County. But the landscape that Martin treasured was an ecosystem already in crisis. Wildfires fueled by climate change were growing bigger and more frequent: each autumn, her garden filled with smoke and ash, and the local firehouse siren wailed deep into the night.
In 2020, when a dry lightning storm ignited hundreds of simultaneous wildfires across the West and kicked off the worst fire season on record, Martin, along with thousands of other Californians, evacuated her home in the midst of a pandemic.
This book is mesmerizing, beautifully written account of living through and trying to come to terms with the harrowing impacts of the climate crisis.
Senator Lena A. Gonzalez was first elected to the State Senate to represent the 33rd District in a special election in June of 2019 and was subsequently re-elected in the November 3, 2020 general election for her first full 4-year term. As State Senator, she represents nearly 1 million residents in Southeast Los Angeles, Signal Hill, portions of South Los Angeles, Lakewood, and her hometown of Long Beach.
In the Senate, Senator Gonzalez is a strong voice for working families, advocating to improve working conditions and lifting up the voices of all workers. She prioritizes and fights for a clean environment, digital inclusion, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights and the economic vitality of small businesses among other policy areas.
Find The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History at your local library branch by clicking here!