John Perez, the 1st Openly Gay Speaker in the CA Assembly

Congrats to John!

Perez will hold one of the most powerful positions in state government.

A cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Perez was elected to the Assembly last year. He was challenged in the speakership race by Democratic Assemblyman Kevin De Leon, a fellow Hispanic lawmaker.

The nomination now goes before the full Assembly, but the candidate with the most Democratic support usually wins because Democrats hold a majority of seats in the 80-member chamber.

He will take over the position from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who was elected by her colleagues in February 2008.

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