San Bernardino, CA — Surrounded by family, lawmakers, educators and community leaders, Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes was sworn into the California State Senate on Feb. 28 at her alma mater, San Bernardino Valley College, marking what she described as a recommitment to the Inland Empire communities she has long represented.

Among the speakers was civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, who delivered an impassioned tribute to Gómez Reyes and the voters who sent her to Sacramento.

“I’m so honored to be here to celebrate Senator Reyes,” Huerta told the crowd. “And I want to thank all of you because you have given us this very great gift of Senator Reyes to represent not only you, but all of us in the state of California.”

Huerta framed the moment as historic for the Inland Empire, recalling earlier decades of inequality in the region.

“I was working here in this area way back in the ‘50s,” she said, remembering when parts of the region were known as the “farm village” and marked by “a lot of racism” and “a lot of police brutality.”

She said she once wondered, “Will that ever be fixed? Will that ever become any better?” She expressed pride in where Gómez Reyes comes from and who she represents.

“To know that the town of Colton produced such a great leader really shows that, yes, the American dream can work,” Huerta said.

The ceremony featured an invocation, remarks from local and state leaders, and the formal oath of office.

Sen. Monique Limón, president pro tempore of the California State Senate, served as the master of ceremonies for the morning.

“It’s great to be here with all of you at this full house at my alma mater San Bernardino Valley College,” Gómez Reyessaid during her remarks. “I’m grateful for your support and your love.”

Gómez Reyes, a Democrat representing the 29th Senate District, previously served in the state Assembly, where she became the first Latina to serve as Assembly majority leader.

Limón highlighted that milestone, noting that Gómez Reyes has authored legislation addressing education, child care and environmental protection.

College leaders emphasized Gómez Reyes’ roots at Valley College.

“Among those leaders who began here is Senator Eloise Gomez-Reyes,” San Bernardino Community College DistrictChancellor Dr. Diana Rodriguez told the crowd. “Senator, thank you for carrying our community with you to Sacramento.”

Valley College President Dr. Gilbert J. Contreras echoed that sentiment.

“Today we celebrate one of our own,” he said. “A leader who has sat in these classrooms, walked these same halls, and built a foundation right here at Valley College.”

Limón described Gómez Reyes as “an incredible leader who leads with vision, with purpose, and who doesn’t give up” and praised her work on environmental protections, including legislation strengthening air monitoring and oversight ofwarehouse development in the Inland Empire.

When it came time for the oath, Gómez Reyes stood with her husband and son, holding her mother’s Bible.

In her address, Gómez Reyes reflected on her upbringing in Colton and her journey from farmworker fields to the Legislature.

“I picked onions and grapes with my mother and my siblings in the fields here in the Inland Valley,” she said.

She attended Colton public schools, graduated from Valley College and later earned a law degree before opening her own law firm, becoming the first Latina to do so.

She said she first ran for office because “for too long, decisions were being made about us without us being counted and included at the table.”

Over the past decade, she said, the region has secured significant state investment. “We’ve worked to bring funds to our communities and we’ve succeeded,” she said.

She also outlined legislative efforts in three key areas: expanding financial aid access, providing second chances for formerly incarcerated firefighters and increasing oversight of warehouse development.

Regarding financial aid, she said lawmakers learned that “we were leaving half a billion dollars on the table because our students were not applying for financial aid.”

After requiring high school seniors to complete a financial aid application or opt out, “we’ve had a 30% increase.”

On workforce reentry, she described legislation allowing expedited expungement for certain former inmate firefighters,creating “qualified workers who have access to good jobs and those jobs need good workers.”

And on warehouse development, she said new laws ensure that “if you’re going to build industry in our community, thenyou need to make sure that you are a responsible, good neighbor for our community.”

“In the Inland Empire, we should never have to choose between economic growth and public health,” she added.

Closing her remarks, Gómez Reyes framed the ceremony as more than a formal ritual.

“Today’s ceremony isn’t just about taking an oath,” she said. “It’s about recommitting to that shared work.”