his motivation in seeking a higher education to his parents, who instilled in him the motivation to succeed. He points to the example set by his father who, without any formal education, taught himself to read and write. It was this fact that encouraged Salinas to take advantage of the educational opportunities his parents were never given. Salinas was a bilingual 6th grade teacher at Bardin Elementary School in east Salinas. He became a professor at Hartnell College, in Salinas, from 1989 through 1993. Local politics Salinas began his public service career in June 1989 when he was elected as the first Mexican-American to serve on the Salinas City Council. During his tenure with the City of Salinas, Mr. Salinas served as Mayor Pro-Tem. Salinas was first elected to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 1993, representing District One, and was reelected in 1997. During his second term, he was elected Chair of the Board and was the first Mexican-American to serve on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in over 100 years. State legislature In 2000, Salinas ran for the California state Assembly. After winning the Democratic primary, he won an expensive, hard-fought general election against Republican Jeff Denham, who went on to be elected state Senator in 2002. Salinas was sworn in to represent the 28th District in the California State Assembly on December 4, 2000. He authored legislation addressing issues in affordable housing, agriculture, healthcare, public safety, transportation, local government, and education. For his legislative efforts on these and other issues, he was named "Legislator of the Year" by a few organizations that include Skills USA-VICA, California Transit Association, the League of California Cities, and the American Planning Association. In Salinas's first year in the Legislature, he sent 11 bills to the Governor and 9 were signed into law. Salinas served as the Chair of the Local Government Committee and as a Member of the Agriculture, Education, Health and Housing, Community Development Committees and other non-profit organization. He was Chair of the Select Committee on Rural Economic Development and vice president and co-founder of Caminos Del Arte, a non-profit organization that provides services for at-risk youth. As an assembly member, Salinas was a supporter of the 2006 bond measures. He was also a supporter of raising taxes, universal healthcare, improving social services, closing loopholes in Proposition 13, and independent redistricting. Return to local politics On January