Huntington Park Official Nominated as U.S. Treasurer

Huntington Park City Councilwoman Rosario Marin, a Mexican immigrant who crusaded for the rights of disabled children in her rise through the Republican ranks, has been nominated to be U.S. treasurer by President Bush.

The nomination, subject to U.S. Senate confirmation, was announced Tuesday by the White House press office.

A council member since 1994, Marin said she was grateful to the president for the nomination.

“I am truly humbled by the honor to be considered for such an important position,” said Marin in a prepared statement. “Should I be privileged to earn the United States Senate’s trust and be confirmed, I look forward to serving our nation to the very best of my ability.”

The treasurer’s signature appears on currency along with that of the Treasury secretary, currently Paul O’Neill.

Marin and her family came to California from Mexico 30 years ago. She has been a strong advocate for disabled children since her son was born with Down syndrome in 1985. She helped form a support group for Latino parents with disabled children and lobbied for the rights of the disabled in Sacramento.

A onetime spokeswoman for former Gov. Pete Wilson, Marin has often been a target of criticism from some Latinos leaders who say she allies herself with politicians pushing policies harmful to immigrant causes.

But Marin has remained popular with voters in Huntington Park, a blue-collar, predominantly Latino city in southeast Los Angeles County. Despite being a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, she was the top vote-getter in the 1999 election.

The Senate confirmation hearings will probably begin in May.