U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas To Speak At Woodbury University on 'Leadership and Social Responsibility'

LOS ANGELES, CA, February 28, 2014 (Press-News.org) What's it like to traverse Washington's fiscal cliffs, sequesters and gridlock?

U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-29th District) certainly knows. Cárdenas will share his experiences and learnings as a freshman member of Congress, during a March 19 address at Woodbury University. Cárdenas will focus on leadership and social responsibility, and how both characteristics are playing out in the highly partisan atmosphere of Capitol Hill.

Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Location: Ahmanson Main Space, Woodbury University
Time: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
RSVP Lisa Cooper, Center for Leadership, Elizabeth.cooper@woodbury.edu
(818) 394-3342

About Rep. Cárdenas
Rep. Cárdenas was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1996. He
went on to serve three terms in the Assembly and was later elected to the Los Angeles City Council, in 2003. His engineering degree, and a business background, prepared him for the day-to-day duties of an elected official and his experience has allowed him to find practical and realistic solutions to difficult problems. Born in Pacoima, Cárdenas was raised with ten brothers and sisters and still resides in the San Fernando Valley with his wife, Norma, and their children.

As a state legislator, Cárdenas focused on ensuring that his community received the programs and services they needed; while he made sure the state's finances were managed responsibly. As Chair of the State Assembly's powerful Budget Committee, Cárdenas oversaw the most robust reserve budget in the history of California. His state reforms brought 78,000 new classroom seats to Los Angeles, as well as 15 universal playgrounds throughout the city. He also secured more than $650 million for new school construction in Los Angeles to help relieve overcrowded classrooms. It was in the Assembly that Cárdenas began working on juvenile justice issues. His state legislation included the overhaul of California's gang prevention and intervention programs, with the passage of the Schiff-Cárdenas Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act. He brought his passion for juvenile justice to the Los Angeles City Council. As Chair of the City's Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development, Cardenas identified millions of dollars overlooked by the City to help keep kids off the streets, and reduced crime while reducing expenditures on crime abatement programs.

As Vice Chair of the City's Public Safety Committee, Cárdenas spearheaded the most comprehensive gang intervention model in the country. The Community-Based Gang Intervention Model standardized and defined the methods used by gang intervention workers to help stop violence in some of LA's most dangerous neighborhoods. After 16 years in public office, Cárdenas has made history, becoming the first Latino elected official to represent the San Fernando Valley in the United States Congress. He will continue his passionate commitment to the community in this new capacity. He currently sits on the House of Representatives Natural Resources, Budget, and Oversight and Government Reform committees.

About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies, along with an MBA program, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Organizational Leadership. A San Diego campus offers bachelor of architecture, Master of Real Estate Development for Architects (MRED), and Master of Science in Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism degrees. Visit http://www.woodbury.edu for more information, and Reflections on Excellence, the new twice-monthly blog written by Woodbury University President Luis Maria R. Calingo, Ph.D.

Media Contacts
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
ken@edgecommunicationsinc.com