April 3, Friday -- Art Torres, chair of the California Democratic Party and longtime state legislator, will speak at the UC Davis School of Law at noon on Friday, April 3. The talk is part of a weeklong celebration of Cesar Chavez Day sponsored by the La Raza Law Students Association and Democratic Law Students Association at UC Davis.

Torres, a 1971 graduate of the UC Davis School of Law, served eight years in the state Assembly and 12 in the Senate. He was the first Latino to receive his party's nomination for statewide office when he ran for California insurance commissioner in 1994. He drew national media attention that year for his vocal opposition to Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that sought to deny social services to undocumented immigrants.

Torres is widely recognized as a leader in the Latino community, fighting for better representation and more rights for the state's large Hispanic population.