Sonja Diaz, executive director of the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative at UCLA Luskin, spoke to media outlets including the Sacramento Bee and Associated Press about the first Latina nominated to serve on the California Supreme Court. Gov. Gavin Newsom said his selection for the open seat, Appeals Court Justice Patricia Guerrero, is a “keen legal mind and well-regarded jurist.” The daughter of Mexican immigrants who grew up in the agricultural Imperial Valley has worked as a federal prosecutor, law firm partner and Superior Court judge, and now sits on the 4th District Court of Appeal. Latinas sit on high courts in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New York and Texas, Diaz said, but despite the growing influence of the Latino electorate in California, no Latina has yet served in a statewide constitutional office or as U.S. senator. “Despite the important contributions that Latinas make to power California’s economy, they continue to be underrepresented in positions of power,” she said.