Hilda Solis

Hilda Solis
Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2014
Preceded by	Gloria Molina
Chair of Los Angeles County
In office December 8, 2020 – December 7, 2021
Preceded by	Kathryn Barger
Succeeded by	Holly Mitchell
In office December 8, 2015 – December 6, 2016
Preceded by	Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor)
Succeeded by	Mark Ridley-Thomas
Chair pro tempore of Los Angeles County
In office December 3, 2019 – December 8, 2020
Preceded by	Kathryn Barger
Succeeded by	Holly Mitchell
In office December 2, 2014 – December 8, 2015
Preceded by	Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor pro tempore)
Succeeded by	Mark Ridley-Thomas
25th United States Secretary of Labor
In office February 24, 2009 – January 22, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Seth Harris
Preceded by	Elaine Chao
Succeeded by	Tom Perez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 2001 – February 24, 2009
Preceded by	Matthew G. Martínez
Succeeded by	Judy Chu
Constituency	31st district (2001–2003) 32nd district (2003–2009)
Member of the California State Senate from the 24th district
In office December 5, 1994 – December 31, 2000
Preceded by	Arthur Torres
Succeeded by	Gloria Romero
Member of the California State Assembly from the 57th district
In office December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1994
Preceded by	Dave Elder
Succeeded by	Martin Gallegos
Personal details
Born	Hilda Lucia Solis (1957-10-20) October 20, 1957 (age 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sami Sayyad
Education	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (BA) University of Southern California (MPA)

Hilda Lucia Solis (/soʊˈliːs/;^[1] born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as part of the administration of President Barack Obama. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

Solis was raised in La Puente, California, by immigrant parents from Nicaragua and Mexico. She earned degrees from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the University of Southern California and worked for two federal agencies in Washington, D.C. Returning to her native state, she was elected to the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees in 1985, the California State Assembly in 1992, and the California State Senate in 1994. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate, and was reelected there in 1998. Solis sought to pass environmental justice legislation. She was the first female recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000.

Solis defeated a long-time Democratic incumbent as part of getting elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, where she focused mainly on labor causes and environmental work. She was reelected easily to four subsequent terms. In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Solis as the next secretary of labor. She took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate in February 2009, becoming the first Latina to lead one of the United States federal executive departments. There she focused on workplace safety issues and on strengthening compliance with wage and hour laws. In January 2013, Solis stepped down from her post as Labor Secretary.

Returning to the area of her upbringing, in April 2014, Solis formally announced a campaign for a seat on the non-partisan Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Solis won the seat outright in a June 3 election and was sworn in on December 1. As Supervisor, Solis successfully lobbied the state to allocate funds for the Exide battery plant cleanup. One of her areas of responsibility was Downtown Los Angeles, where her main priority was dealing with gentrification and the lack of affordable housing. She was unopposed for re-election as Supervisor, which took place in June 2018. She served one-year terms as county chair from 2015 to 2016 and again from 2020 to 2021.