Hilda Solis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hilda Solis
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Official portrait, 2012
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| Chair pro tempore of Los Angeles County | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Kathryn Barger |
| In office December 3, 2019 – December 8, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Kathryn Barger |
| Succeeded by | Holly Mitchell |
| In office December 2, 2014 – December 8, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor pro tempore) |
| Succeeded by | Mark Ridley-Thomas |
| Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 1st district |
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| Assumed office December 1, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Gloria Molina |
| Chair of Los Angeles County | |
| In office December 8, 2020 – December 7, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Kathryn Barger |
| Succeeded by | Holly Mitchell |
| In office December 8, 2015 – December 6, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor) |
| Succeeded by | Mark Ridley-Thomas |
| 25th United States Secretary of Labor | |
| In office February 24, 2009 – January 22, 2013 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Seth Harris |
| Preceded by | Elaine Chao |
| Succeeded by | Tom Perez |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| In office January 3, 2001 – February 24, 2009 |
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| 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 |
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| In office December 5, 1994 – December 31, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Torres |
| Succeeded by | Gloria Romero |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 57th district |
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| In office December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Dave Elder |
| Succeeded by | Martin Gallegos |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hilda Lucia Solis
October 20, 1957 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 (born October 20, 1957) is an American politician. She works to make life better for people in her community and across the country. Currently, she is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. This group helps run Los Angeles County.
Before this, Solis was the 25th United States Secretary of Labor. She served from 2009 to 2013. She was chosen by President Barack Obama to be part of his team.
Solis is a member of the Democratic Party. She also served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009. There, she represented parts of California, including East Los Angeles.
Solis grew up in La Puente, California. Her parents came to the U.S. from Nicaragua and Mexico. She was the first in her family to go to college. She earned degrees from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the University of Southern California. She has always worked to help others.
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Early Life and Education
Hilda Solis was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Juana Sequeira and Raúl Solís, met in a citizenship class. Her father was a union leader. He worked at a battery recycling plant. He helped workers get better health benefits. Her mother worked on an assembly line for over 20 years. She was also a union member.
Hilda was the third of seven children. She grew up in La Puente, California. She helped take care of her younger brothers and sisters. She graduated from La Puente High School. A school counselor told her she might not be "college material." But another counselor encouraged her to apply.
She was the first in her family to attend college. She went to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She paid for her studies with grants and part-time jobs. In 1979, she earned a bachelor's degree in political science. Later, in 1981, she earned a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Starting Her Public Service Career
Solis began her career in Washington, D.C. She worked at the White House in 1980–1981. She was an editor for a newsletter. After that, she worked as an analyst for the Office of Management and Budget. She left this job because she disagreed with some policies.
In Washington, she met Sam H. Sayyad. They later got married. He owns an auto repair shop in Irwindale, California. They live in El Monte, California, close to where she grew up.
Solis returned to California in 1982. She became the director of a program. This program helped young people get ready for college. In 1985, she ran for the board of trustees for the Rio Hondo Community College District. She won and was reelected in 1989. On the board, she worked to improve job training. She also tried to hire more diverse teachers.
In 1991, she became more involved in politics. She was appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance. This was by Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. Molina became a mentor to Solis. Solis also worked for State Senator Art Torres.
California State Legislature
In 1992, Solis decided to run for the California State Assembly. The area she wanted to represent had changed. She received strong support from Gloria Molina and U.S. Representative Barbara Boxer. Her campaign focused on talking directly to people. Her mother even made food for volunteers. Solis won the election. She was one of seven Latino politicians elected to the Assembly that year.
In the State Assembly, Solis worked on important issues. She supported a bill to allow immigrants to attend California colleges. She also backed a bill to ban smoking in all workplaces. She served on committees for education, labor, and the environment.
In 1994, Solis ran for the California State Senate. She won the election. She became the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate. She was also the youngest member of the Senate at that time. She was reelected in 1998.
As a State Senator, Solis wrote 17 bills to prevent domestic violence. She also worked on issues for workers, education, and health care. She believed government could improve people's lives. In 1995, she supported a bill to raise the minimum wage. When the governor stopped it, she helped make it a ballot initiative. This initiative passed, making her well-known across the state.
Solis also held meetings about enforcing labor laws. This happened after workers were found in very poor conditions in 1995. She pushed for stronger rules against sweatshops.
Solis was also an environmental activist. She grew up near a large landfill, which made her care about the environment. In 1997, she worked to pass environmental justice laws. These laws aimed to protect low-income and minority communities from pollution. She got the bill approved, but the governor stopped it. In 1999, she tried again with a similar law, and it passed. This was the first law of its kind in the nation.
In 2000, Solis received the Profile in Courage Award. This award is given by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. She was the first woman to win this award. She was honored for challenging the traditional political system.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Because of term limits, Solis could not run for State Senate again. In 2000, she decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. She ran against a long-time representative, Matthew G. Martínez. Her district had many working-class Hispanic and Asian residents. Solis gained support from labor unions and environmental groups.
Solis won against Martínez in the March 2000 Democratic primary. She won by a large amount. Martínez then changed to the Republican Party. In the general election, Solis won with 79 percent of the vote.
When she arrived in the House, Solis was named freshman class whip. This meant she helped gather votes from new Democratic members. She was seen as a rising political leader. She focused on promoting green-collar jobs. She also worked on protecting the environment in Southern California.
Solis strongly supported workers' rights. She backed the Employee Free Choice Act. This act helps workers form unions. She voted against several trade agreements. She was worried about human rights. She also opposed laws that would weaken job safety rules. Labor groups always gave her high ratings.
During her time in the House, Solis supported immigration reform. She was against a House bill that would have made immigration laws much stricter. She also sponsored a bill. This bill allowed immigrants to become U.S. citizens after one year of military service.
Solis is Roman Catholic. She was part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This group supports liberal policies. She was seen as a close friend of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
After new district boundaries were drawn, Solis's area became part of California's 32nd congressional district. She was reelected many times by large numbers of votes. She ran unopposed in 2008.
Solis strongly supported Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. When Clinton did not win, Barack Obama asked for Solis's support. This helped him connect with Hispanic voters.
U.S. Secretary of Labor
On December 18, 2008, it was announced that President-elect Obama chose Solis to be Secretary of Labor. Labor unions praised this choice. However, some business groups were not as happy. Obama officially announced her nomination on December 19.
Solis's confirmation process took some time. There were questions about her past roles. There were also questions about her husband's business tax payments. But she was confirmed by the Senate on February 24, 2009. She left the House and was sworn into her new role that evening.
Solis became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a regular U.S. cabinet member. She was also the first cabinet secretary of Central American descent. She wanted to make the Labor Department stronger and more effective.
In her first days, Solis extended unemployment benefits. She also joined Vice President Biden's Middle Class Task Force. She promised to enforce workplace protection laws more strictly. She said, "You can rest assured that there is a new sheriff in town." She added 250 investigators to the Wage and Hour Division. This helped enforce wage laws better.
In 2010, Solis aimed to create many new rules. These rules would help unions and workers. After a major mining disaster in West Virginia, Solis asked for a review of mine safety enforcement. She also hosted the first meeting of the G20 labor ministers. They talked about how to create more jobs in their countries.
In February 2011, Solis spoke out against plans to limit public employee unions' rights. She said these plans demanded workers "give up their uniquely American rights."
In October 2012, Solis defended the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was after some people questioned unemployment numbers. She said the numbers were calculated by highly skilled economists. That year, the Labor Department collected a record $280 million in back pay for workers. Workplace deaths also reached an all-time low in some areas.
On January 9, 2013, Solis resigned as Secretary of Labor. She was one of several cabinet members who did not stay for Obama's second term. Her last day was January 22, 2013.
Solis received praise from labor unions and Democrats. They liked her strict enforcement of safety rules. They also liked her pursuit of those who violated wage laws. Business groups, however, felt she was not cooperative.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
After leaving the Labor Department, many thought Solis would run for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. This board is very powerful at the county level. It manages a large workforce and a budget similar to a U.S. state. Each supervisor represents about two million people.
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In November 2013, Solis became a scholar-in-residence at Cal Poly Pomona. She lectured, mentored students, and helped develop school programs.
On April 5, 2014, Solis officially announced her campaign for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She was expected to win. Solis won the seat on June 4, 2014, with 70 percent of the vote. This meant she won right away and did not need another election.
As Supervisor for District 1, Solis worked on the Exide lead contamination issue. This affected communities in her district. She pushed for state money to clean up the pollution. She said, "This has gone on too long." In February 2016, she praised Governor Jerry Brown for increasing state funds for the cleanup.
Solis also focused on Downtown Los Angeles. Her main goal was dealing with gentrification and the lack of affordable housing. Data showed that the number of homeless people in her district had increased. Solis said, "With increasingly out-of-control rents, we need more tools to secure housing stability."
In December 2015, Solis became Chair of the Supervisors. This position changes yearly. She aimed to make the county welcoming for everyone. She also worked to get more help for older children leaving the foster care system.
After the 2016 presidential election, Solis worked with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. They created a $10 million fund. This fund provided legal help to immigrants facing deportation.
In May 2017, Solis voted to keep the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument protected. She also supported a tax to create more parks and playgrounds in Los Angeles. In October 2017, a motion she wrote passed. It replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official holiday in Los Angeles County.
In the 2018 Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors election, Solis ran unopposed and was re-elected.
In 2019, Solis helped stop a planned $1.7 billion mental health treatment center. She argued it would become too much like a jail. She pushed for smaller treatment facilities instead. Solis also supported Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. She said he had the "steady hand and experience" needed.
The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Solis and the other supervisors urged residents to stay at home. In December 2020, Solis became rotating chair of the board again. By then, all members of the board were women, a historic first.
In July 2021, Solis issued an executive order. This order brought back an indoor mask rule in the county. In August 2021, she required county employees to be vaccinated by October 1.
In 2022, Solis and her colleagues asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop using a dangerous chemical at refineries. They wanted a safer option to be used.
Awards and Honors
In 2000, Solis received the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
In 2010, she received the Robert P. Biller Award for Public Service. This was from the University of Southern California. The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities gave Solis its 2011 President's Award for Excellence. In 2012, she received the Champion for the Futures of Farmworker Children Award.
The Imagen Foundation honored Solis with its President's Award in 2016. In 2019, Solis received the Leadership Award at the American Latino Influencer Awards.
Solis gave the commencement speech at Rio Hondo College in 2014. In 2023, she received an honorary doctor of laws degree. This was from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Several places and programs have been named after Solis. The Hilda L. Solis Scholarship Dinner & Reception is held every year at Cal Poly Pomona. The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village provides housing for homeless people in Downtown Los Angeles. The Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy School is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In 2022, the White House appointed Solis to the Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
See also
In Spanish: Hilda Solís para niños
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
