AD 38: Early childhood education advocate Suzette Martinez Valladares\’ bid for the 38th Assembly District continues to gather momentum as it announced today the endorsement from Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron.
Assembly Republican Leader Waldron wrote of Valladares, \”Suzette is a next-generation California Republican and a shining light of hope for our state\’s future. She will offer voters in the Santa Clarita, Simi and San Fernando Valleys a real alternative to the majority party\’s failure to improve the quality of life for so many Californians struggling to get by. Suzette\’s story, life experience, and work embody the California dream. I know she can help turn our state around and provide a voice to those who feel left behind.\”
Since announcing her candidacy, Valladares has earned the endorsements from other notable local leaders including Senator Scott Wilk and former Congressmen Steve Knight and Buck McKeon.
Background: An unlikely Republican story, Suzette grew up in the San Fernando Valley, the granddaughter of a farmworker who worked alongside Cesar Chavez in the vineyards near Bakersfield. She was blessed with loving parents who valued education, family and community responsibility. In 2012, Suzette became Executive Director of Southern California Autism Speaks. Her career is based on serving others, with a passion for early childhood education and advocacy.
After her mother’s passing in 2018, Suzette was asked to assume her mother’s role as CEO of Little Steps of Faith, a faith-based non-profit preschool that provides quality childcare to underserved families in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys.
Suzette and her husband Shane were blessed with their first child, daughter Charlotte, in April 2017.
(California\’s 38th Assembly District includes the Santa Clarita and Simi Valleys as well as a portion of the San Fernando Valley.)