Honoring Congresswoman Watson

Today, I had the privilege to honor Congresswoman Diane Watson in Council Chambers. Her notable career started in 1975, when she became the first African-American woman to be elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. In 1978, she was elected to the California State Senate, where she chaired the Senate Health and Human Services Committee from 1981 to 1998. In 1999, President Clinton appointed her to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia—understanding, as we do, that Congresswoman Watson would represent our country with poise, compassion, and savvy.

In 2001, she was elected to California’s 33rd Congressional District, where she has lived all her life. Watson’s roots are deep in Los Angeles, with her father serving as a LAPD officer, and on the staff of Councilmember Gil Lindsay.