Denise Moreno Ducheny (born March 21 1952) is a California State Senator who represents Senate District 40, which includes southern San Diego County, part of Riverside County, and all of Imperial County. Ducheny is a Democratic. She lives with her husband, Al, in San Diego, California.
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Background
Ducheny was born in Los Angeles, California. She graduated with a BA in History from Pomona College. She earned her JD in 1979 from Southwestern University School of Law. After graduation, she practiced law from 1979 in south San Diego, California. Al and Denise Moreno Ducheny were considered strong Maoist Communists during the Chicano era. Ducheny served on the San Diego Community College Board from 1990-1994.
State Assembly
Ducheny served in the California State Assembly in 1994 to 2000. She was the first San Diegan, first woman, and first Latino ever to be appointed to this powerful position overseeing the state's $100 billion spending plan. While in the Assembly, Ducheny served as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee between 1997 and 2000, and as Vice-Chair in 1996. She also served, as Chair of the Select Committee on California-Mexico Affairs, as Co-Chair of the Special Committee on Welfare Reform, as Vice-Chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and as Vice-Chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus. Ducheny served in numerous committees and authored landmark legislation, including the CAL Works Welfare Reform Act of 1997, which assisted many in the transition from welfare to work; the College Affordability Act, which rolled back student fees at the UC, CSU, and Community Colleges for the first time in 13 years; the Reverse Mortgage bill, which provided protection to senior homeowners and consumers; the California Public School Library Act, which provided an additional funding source for school libraries; the Indian Child Welfare Act; the California development certificate to teach K-12 students; and legislation regarding vacant residential structures, which enabled local government to rehabilitate vacant dwellings to improve the quality of life in their communities.
State Senate
She was first elected to represent the 40th District in the California State Senate in November 2002. Ducheny chairs the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. She is Vice Chair of the Agriculture Committee, a member of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and also chairs the Select Committees on California-Mexico Cooperation and Oversight of the UC Energy Labs. She has been a strong advocate of a so-far unsuccessful effort to repeal California's mandatory motorcycle helmet law [1].
