Mark Ridley-Thomas

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Mark Ridley-Thomas (born November 6, 1954) is currently a California State Senator for the 26th Senate District, which includes the communities of Vermont Knolls, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Hancock Park, Koreatown, Cheviot Hills, Los Feliz, Culver City and more. He is currently vying to represent the 2nd District of the Los Angeles County as a member of its Board of Supervisors. In the Senate he chairs the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee. He previously served as the California State Assemblyman representing the 48th district from 2002 until 2006. Prior to this, he served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1991 to 2002. He was chairman of the Democratic Caucus while in the State Assembly. Ridley-Thomas has endorsed Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.

Along with being chair of the Senate's Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development and its two subcommittees on Professional Sports and Entertainment, and The Economy, Workforce Preparation and Development he serves on the Senate Appropriations, Energy, Utilities and Communications, Health, and Public Safety committees.

Ridley-Thomas is widely regarded as the premier leader in the Neighborhood Council movement, by virtue of his founding of the Empowerment Congress, arguably the region’s most successful Neighborhood Council. His political career was preceded by a decade of service as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles (1981-1991), which followed a brief, but successful, career as a high school teacher.

Ridley-Thomas is a graduate of Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles and earned a baccalaureate degree in Social Relations and a master's degree in Religious Studies from Immaculate Heart College. Ridley-Thomas went on to receive his Ph.D. in Social Ethics and Policy Analysis from the University of Southern California (1989).

Mark Ridley-Thomas is married to Avis Ridley-Thomas, the Director of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office Dispute Resolution Center and have two sons, Sebastian and Sinclair, juniors at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

[edit] Platform

Decrease Gang Violence
Improve Economic Development in Inner Cities

[edit] External links

Preceded by Rod Wright	California State Assembly, 48th District 2002–2006	Succeeded by Mike Davis
Preceded by Kevin Murray	California State Senator 26th district 2006–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Robert C. Farrell	Los Angeles City Councilmen 8th district 1992–2002	Succeeded by Bernard Parks

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Current members of the California State Senate

1^st District: Cox (R) • 2^nd District: Wiggins (D) • 3^rd District: Migden (D) • 4^th District: Aanestad (R) • 5^th District: Machado (D) • 6^th District: Steinberg (D) • 7^th District: Torlakson (D) • 8^th District: Yee (D) • 9^th District: Perata (D) • 10^th District: Corbett (D) • 11^th District: Simitian (D) • 12^th District: Denham (R) • 13^th District: Alquist (D) • 14^th District: Cogdill (R) • 15^th District: Maldonado (R) • 16^th District: Florez (D) • 17^th District: Runner (R) • 18^th District: Ashburn (R) • 19^th District: McClintock (R) • 20^th District: Padilla (D) • 21^st District: Scott (D) • 22^nd District: Cedillo (D) • 23^rd District: Kuehl (D) • 24^th District: Romero (D) • 25^th District: Vincent (D) • 26^th District: Ridley-Thomas (D) • 27^th District: Lowenthal (D) • 28^th District: Oropeza (D) • 29^th District: Margett (R) • 30^th District: Calderon (D) • 31^st District: Dutton (R) • 32^nd District: McLeod (D) • 33^rd District: Ackerman (R) • 34^th District: Correa (D) • 35^th District: Harman (R) • 36^th District: Hollingsworth (R) • 37^th District: Battin (R) • 38^th District: Wyland (R) • 39^th District: Kehoe (D) • 40^th District: Ducheny (D)