February 13, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 30 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
HONORING BONNIE LOWENTHAL'S CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 30
(Extensions of Remarks - February 13, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Page E180] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING BONNIE LOWENTHAL'S CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE ______ HON. ALAN S. LOWENTHAL of california in the house of representatives Thursday, February 13, 2020 Mr. LOWENTHAL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Bonnie Lowenthal and her career of public service. Ms. Lowenthal began her public service to the Long Beach, California community nearly five decades ago, serving as a licensed family counselor, mental health consultant, and as an educator. Her work in the Long Beach community began a life-long focus on affordable housing and the problem of homelessness. She was appointed as Vice Chair of the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness in 1987 and worked to find mechanisms to house people and prevent homelessness. Her community work also led Ms. Lowenthal to a deep involvement with the Long Beach Cambodian community and in 1989 she was named Director of Planning for the United Cambodian Community organization while also serving as the Arts Manager representing a group of Cambodian musicians and founding the Cambodian Children's Orchestra. In 1991, Ms. Lowenthal traveled to Cambodia with a national Red Cross group to investigate the proliferation of landmines left behind during the decades of war that had engulfed the country. She also helped initiate a sister-city relationship between Long Beach and Phnom Penh and would go on to be an official observer during Cambodia's first municipal elections in more than 40 years. Ms. Lowenthal has also served as Clinical Director for the Cambodian Association of America and as a participant on the Cambodiatown Advisory Board. In 1994, Ms. Lowenthal was elected to the first of two terms on the Long Beach Unified School District Board. Her dedication and commitment to students helped Long Beach earn a national reputation as one of the country's best urban school districts. After winning a 2001 special election for the 1st District of the Long Beach City Council, Ms. Lowenthal would go on to win two full terms for the seat in 2002 and 2006. Selected by her colleagues as Vice Mayor in 2006, she was also elected by 27 regional cities to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board. She has stated that her mission on the Long Beach City Council was to make sure that the residents of her working-class district were as well represented at City Hall as residents of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods. In 2008, Ms. Lowenthal was elected to her first of three terms in the California State Assembly. Her district, encompassing what is now the 70th Assembly District, remains one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the state. During her three terms in the State Assembly, Ms. Lowenthal's district included the Long Beach/Los Angeles port complex--the busiest container complex in the Western Hemisphere. As an Assemblymember, she was instrumental in helping create more than 18,000 transportation- related jobs, while also protecting the employment rights of thousands of other port workers. In addition to transportation issues, during her tenure in the State Assembly she focused on standing up for children, seniors, and the environment. She authored laws that protected coastal waters from invasive species; made it easier for older adults to stay in their homes; encouraged state workers to blow the whistle on wrongdoing; and made it easier for school districts to provide children with a safe ride to school. She also authored important legislation that brought additional federal funds to foster youth, protected injured workers from unjust medical bills, and reduced the cost of prison healthcare by millions of dollars a year. Her leadership positions in the State Assembly included chairing the Legislative Women's Caucus, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, the Joint Committee on Emergency Management, and the Select Committee on Ports. She served as a member of the committees on Accountability and Administrative Review, Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials, Health, and other select committees. For her service in the State Legislature, Ms. Lowenthal was named Legislator of the Year by the California Assisted Living Association, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and the California Chiropractic Association, among many others. In 2017, Ms. Lowenthal was named to the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, and elected President of the Board in July 2019, following a year of service as Vice President of the board. As a member of the five-member board, Ms. Lowenthal is responsible for the management and oversight of City's Harbor Department which operates the Port of Long Beach, the nation's second-busiest port. She was unanimously confirmed by the City Council as the 68th appointee to the Board since the current Commission was established in 1925. Her appointment made her the seventh woman to serve on the Commission and marked the first time in the port's history that the five-member Board had four female members at the same time. Besides serving on various Commission sub-committees, Ms. Lowenthal also represents the port on national and international trade missions and serves as the board representative or alternate to a variety of port-related leadership organizations. In addition to her work on the Board of Harbor Commissioners, Ms. Lowenthal serves her community on the St. Mary's Medical Center Governing Board, the U.S. Vets Advisory Board, the Children Today Board of Directors, the LINC Housing Board of Directors, and the Jewish Family and Children's Service Board of Directors. I want to thank Ms. Lowenthal for her nearly five decades of commitment to her community and for the dedication to public service that has allowed her to give so much to that community. ____________________