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History was made Saturday when Luis Rodriguez became the first Latino president of the State Bar of California.
Rodriguez is also the first public defender to hold the position in the organization’s 86-year history. After taking the oath of office — administered by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye at The Fairmont hotel in San Jose — Rodriguez spoke on this milestone, with his mother, wife and two daughters in the audience.
“I am not the exception,” he said. “I am just another example of what happens when we come together as a community.”
A son of two Mexican immigrants, one of his three priorities in office is to provide greater oversight to immigrant serving groups. He also looks to increase trial court funding and address law student debt.
Also sworn-in were Rodriguez’s accompanying officers Craig Holden and Heather Rosing — vice president and treasurer, respectively — and new members of the Bar’s Board of Trustees.
