Negrete McLeod, Gloria, 1941-

<p>Gloria Negrete McLeod entered public office as a second career. After raising a large family and completing her education, Negrete McLeod served in the California state legislature for six terms. In 2012, at the age of 71, she won a seat in the United States House of Representatives from a Sacramento-area district. But as a first-term Member in the minority party she became frustrated with the loss of influence. “I really want to be able to serve the community,” she later said, “and in Congress it was a lot harder to make an impact on the district.”</p>

<p>Gloria Negrete McLeod was born Gloria Negrete on September 6, 1941, in Los Angeles, California. She married Gilbert L. McLeod, a policeman, and they raised 10 children. By 2014 the couple could boast of 27 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. In her late 30s, Negrete McLeod earned an associate’s degree in general education from Chaffey Community College in nearby Rancho Cucamonga in 1979. From 1986 to 1995 she was a college instructional aide at Chaffey.</p>

<p>Negrete McLeod began her public career in 1995 as a member of the Chaffey Community College board, which she later chaired. She ran unsuccessfully for the state assembly in 1998, and in 1999 was a campaign aide for Joe Baca when he won a seat in the U.S. House. In 2000 Negrete McLeod won election to the California state assembly. Limited to three terms in the assembly, she successfully ran for the state senate in 2006 and became the head of the public employment and retirement committee where she concentrated on California’s public employees’ retirement system. More than 160 of her bills became law during her time in the state legislature.</p>

<p>Gloria Negrete McLeod (born September 6, 1941) is an American politician who was the United States Representative for California's 35th congressional district from 2013 to 2015. The district included portions of eastern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County. She was a California State Senator, representing the 32nd District, from December 2006 until her election to Congress. Prior to that, she served in the California State Assembly from 2000 to 2006 after having lost in a 1998 bid for the Assembly. A resident of Chino, she defeated Joe Baca, Jr. in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat. She defeated Joe Baca Sr. in her 2012 election to Congress. In February 2014, she announced her intention not to stand at the following elections, and instead to run for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Negrete McLeod lost the November election to Republican state Assemblyman Curt Hagman.</p>

<p>She was born in 1941 in Los Angeles, California. She was President of the Board of Chaffey Community College (her alma mater) and was a Chaffey Board member for five years. She was reelected to the board in 2015.</p>

<p>She ran for the 61st District in the California State Assembly in 1998 after incumbent Republican Fred Aguiar was term limited. She lost the Democratic vote to Nell Soto in the open primary 53%-47%. In 2000, she ran again and ranked first in the 7-candidate open primary with 28% of the overall vote and 62% of the Democratic vote. Republican Dennis Yates won the Republican vote with 35% and 19% of the overall vote, qualifying for the general election. In the November election, she defeated Yates 54%-43%. In 2002, she defeated Republican Matt Munson 62%-38%. In 2004, she defeated Republican Alan Wapner, an Ontario City Councilman, 64%-36%.</p>