Candidate for
State Senator; District 25

Lydia is the 9th of 10 children. Lydia's father was born to migrant farm workers in Missouri. As a child he worked fields across the US to help support his family. After marrying he served as a Longshoreman (Local 13) in San Pedro from the 50's through the 70's. Lydia's mother was born and raised in San Pedro. Her grandfather helped build the San Pedro Court House and her great-grandmother worked in the San Pedro Fish Cannery.

After raising 8 children in a one bedroom house in the back alley of San Pedro, Lydia's parents moved to Harbor Gateway where they had Lydia and her younger sister.

Lydia Gutierrez was raised with a very strong value for Dignity and Respect through her parents' working for what they had and to not expect handouts. Lydia's father was disabled as a teen due to a car accident and had no choice but to accept financial aid from the government. When the case was settled, her father gave back all of the aid he received from the government. With the remainder of his early pension Lydia's mother learned how to budget wisely with 4 children still in the house.

Lydia also learned the importance of being organized when fighting for your rights. For many years her father worked through ILWU Local 13 to help get fair wages and benefits for his family. Today, Lydia is an elementary teacher as well as an active member and representative of her union. She has dedicated many hours to phone banking, precinct walking, and coordinating for better wages for teachers in her district.

Lydia attended Pepperdine University for her undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts and Dominquez Hills for her Masters in Multicultural Bilingual Education. She holds two credentials in Multiple Subjects K-12, and Bilingual Education. She is a master teacher for UCLA's Math Project Center X, a Fellow from Cal State Long Beach in the Writing Project, and a lecturer for the Los Angeles County Teachers Mathematics Association.

Lydia has always been a person committed to the welfare of others. When Lydia was 12 years old, she began teaching a Sunday School class for elementary children. As she grew up Lydia put a priority in caring for others by visiting the elderly, helping neighbors with chores, and reaching out to teens to give them hope for the future. As a professional, Lydia dedicated two years teaching in the country of Colombia, then committed 7 additional years during school breaks in the US to giving humanitarian aid to the street children of Colombia and working with local orphanages. She also did humanitarian work in the Philippines.

Lydia's professional career began as a teacher, but after her father's death, she left the field to earn more money to help her family. Lydia worked in the aerospace field as an administrator for the F/A 18 Radar then later as a supervisor in Cost Estimating for the Bradley Tank parts division. She then left the field to return to what she cared about most the joy and love of teaching children.

In addition to her other positions, Lydia presently serves as an elected Board member on the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council. She chairs the Budget and Finance Committee, and the Committee of Public Safety.