Saturday, October 12, 2024

Saenz to Head MALDEF

saenz

Tom Saenz, who currently serves as counsel to the Mayor of Los Angeles, is the new president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).

The decision was praised by many.  “We could not ask for a better civil rights leader than Thomas Saenz to take the helm of MALDEF at this critical time,” said Patricia Madrid, a former New Mexico Attorney General who chairs the group’s board of directors

A native of Los Angeles, Saenz, 43, is a graduate of Yale Law School.  He clerked for Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and worked for MALDEF for 12 years prior to joining the Mayor’s office.  During his tenure at MALDEF, he worked on a number of issues including immigration and employments rights.

Saenz replaces John Trasviña who left the organization to left to join the Obama administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Daily Journal

Los Angeles Times