Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez serves as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader of the California State Assembly.
First elected in 2008 and now in his third and final term, Assemblymember Pérez represents the 56th Assembly District, which comprises the cities and communities in eastern Riverside and Imperial counties.
During his first two terms in office, Manuel served as chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy and devoted much of his policy focus to the state’s economic recovery. He firmly believes in local economic development, supporting small business, and protecting local government. He also strongly advocates for continued investments in education, while ensuring a safety net for our most vulnerable communities.
Included among Manuel's many legislative accomplishments thus far are:
- maintaining small business access to capital through the reinstatement of a loan guarantee program and other measures to ensure loans and technical assistance reach the small business community;
- facilitating renewable energy development in the desert region through streamlined permitting and local planning grants;
- securing the approval for a clean-burning, natural gas power plant to bring $900 million in investment, hundreds of jobs, and energy reliability to the region;
- securing $2.3 billion in clean tech economic recovery bonds to help local governments attract business and create jobs;
- focusing state level attention on the heavily polluted New River and securing funds to draw down nearly $4 million in federal grants to begin its clean up;
- helping to keep students in school by empowering administrators with narrow discretion to consider alternatives to suspension and expulsion for certain student offenses;
- promoting greater access to the state’s Safe Routes to School program for more walkable and pedestrian friendly communities;
- helping veterans avoid foreclosure by authorizing the Cal Vet home loan program to develop refinancing services;
- addressing the arsenic contamination of local wells in the East Coachella Valley and ensuring low income residents have the same consumer protections as other water customers; and
- protecting the Enterprise Zone program that attracts business investment in disadvantaged communities.
Click here for summaries of Manuel's legislation.
Manuel is a member of the following Assembly Committees: Government Organization; Health; Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy; and Rules. He is the chair of the Select Committee on the Renewable Energy Economy in Rural California. In prior legislative sessions, he has served on Accountability and Administrative Review; Aging and Long-term Care; and Veterans Affairs Committees.
Click here to learn more about Manuel’s committee assignments.
Manuel is also the Vice Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus.
Manuel lives in Coachella and is a lifelong resident of the 56th Assembly District. Born in Indio and raised in Coachella, he grew up in a close-knit family that taught him the value of hard work, determination, respect, and service to others. He attended public schools, graduated from U.C. Riverside, and earned a Master's degree in Education from Harvard University. Manuel has served as a school teacher, a youth advocate, and a community healthcare director. Before being elected to the Assembly, he served on the board of the Coachella Valley Unified School District.
