ADVOCATING FOR THE INDUSTRY


AGC of California and its advocates have worked with the new Speaker and have had a good relationship to date, most recently negotiating changes to make his prevailing wage hauling bill more workable for contractors.


O


n June 30, 2023, the California Assembly swore in its newest leader, Robert Rivas. Unlike most


of his predecessors, Speaker Rivas does not hail from the traditional power cen- ters of the state, Los Angeles, or the Bay Area, instead coming from Hollister in San Benito County. A lifelong resident of the 29th Assem-


bly District, encompassing the county of Benito and portions of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, Rivas previously served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. He attended local public schools in San Juan Bautista and Hollister and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from CSU Sacramento, later earning a master’s in public administration from San Jose State University. Rivas was raised in Paicines, an un-


incorporated community in San Benito County, most notably known as the gate- way to Pinnacles National Park. It is here where Rivas’ roots began because of his grandparents and his mother emigrating from Mexico in the 1960s. His grandfather was a farmworker at


Meet Robert Rivas – 71st Speaker of the California Assembly


BY FELIPE FUENTES 4


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023


Almaden Vineyards, and Rivas’s family lived in farmworker housing and were active with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in advocating for union contracts for workers. Rivas witnessed and was influenced by his grandfather, who was known for his advocacy on behalf of his fellow workers as well as his ability to work with owners to negotiate contracts acceptable to both sides. When asked, Rivas has responded


that he thought it unlikely that he would become a community leader, at least not if doing so required public speaking. For much of his childhood he struggled to overcome a severe stutter, a condition he still contends with today. Rivas has said that his struggle with this disability – as well as watching others in the farmworker


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