Jose Rivera is a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the Fordham, New York section of the Bronx. A prominent New York democrat, Mr. Rivera was elected to the Assembly in 2002, and is the head of the Democratic Party in the Bronx. This is Mr. Rivera's second stint in the State Assembly; prior to his current stint, Mr. Rivera was from 1987 to 2001 a member of the New York City Council, and from 1982 to 1987 a member of the State Assembly. Prior to his election to the Assembly in 1982, Mr. Rivera gained prominence as a labor advocate and organizer of construction workers and "gypsy" taxicab drivers. Mr. Rivera was a vocal advocate for the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from its bombing range on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, and was arrested in 2001, together with Al Sharpton and other political figures, for trespassing onto the Navy's Vieques facility. The Navy subsequently agreed to withdraw from the Vieques facility. Mr. Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1936. Two of his children, Joel Rivera and Naomi Rivera, are also elected officials in the Bronx, members of the New York City Council and New York State Assembly, respectively.
