Gloria Romero

Romero led the California chapter of Democrats for Education Reform, a reform wing of the Democratic Party supporting parental school choice. In the 2012 election, she supported California's Prop. 32 that would bar unions from withholding money from worker paychecks to finance political activities.. She founded Scholarship Prep Charter School, which enrolls TK-8th grade students in low income communities.

In 2008, Romero stepped down as Majority Leader and became chairman of the Education Committee. In that position she authored and guided to passage a fiercely contested ‘parent trigger’ law which allows a majority of parents in a failing school to vote on a method to restructure the school.

Following U.S. Representative Hilda Solis's December 2008 selection to become U.S. Secretary of Labor by President-elect Barack Obama (and expected subsequent confirmation), Romero indicated strong interest in running in the special election for California's 32nd congressional district to replace her, but later chose to run for the nonpartisan California State Superintendent of Public Instruction instead. Romero was supported by advocates of charter schools, while her two major opponents were supported by teachers unions and school administrators, respectively. Eventually, Romero finished third, receiving 17.0% of the vote in a crowded 12-person field.

She was elected to the California State Assembly in 1998 and to the Senate in 2001. Romero represented the 24th district, which includes East Los Angeles, portions of the city of Los Angeles, as well as a major part of the San Gabriel Valley, including the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Duarte, El Monte, City of Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, Monterey Park, Rosemead, West Covina and Whittier.

Gloria J. Romero (born July 10, 1955) is active in the charter school industry in California, a former California State Senator and the Democratic majority leader of the California State Senate from 2001 until 2008. She was the first woman to ever hold that leadership position.