A former chief of staff for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and former high school teacher, Renteria is a dedicated public servant who helped create an agenda that brought manufacturing jobs back to America, a slate of clean-energy production incentives that seeded the alternative energy industry and new trade enforcement policies.

“The race for Congressional District 21 provides a stark choice for Californians — do we want an incumbent that has voted against every single pro-equality bill he’s seen, or do we want Amanda Renteria, who is committed to equal rights for everyone? The choice is clear and we’re proud to endorse Amanda Renteria,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California.

Lieu has served as the Democratic state senator for the 28th Senate District since Feb. 18, 2011, after being elected to fill the seat of deceased Senator Jenny Oropeza. Last year, Lieu’s civil rights law to ban ‘conversion therapy’ was the country’s first, and it has now been introduced in numerous other states.

“Ted Lieu has been one of the strongest allies for LGBT equality in the Statehouse, including authoring the first-in-the-nation ban on ‘conversion therapy,’ a dangerous and abusive practice targeting LGBT people. We need Lieu’s courage and innovation on a national level, and we’re proud to endorse him for Congressional District 33,” said Zbur.

Aguilar currently serves as the Mayor of Redlands, Calif. As mayor, Aguilar started a loan program for small business start-ups to create good-paying jobs for residents, supported a gun buyback program that took over 300 guns off city’s streets, and passed a Climate Action Plan to reduce air pollution.

“Mayor Pete Aguilar is the choice for voters who support equality for all people. We need a member of Congress that will take us forward, not backward, and that’s why we’re proud to endorse Mayor Aguilar for the 31st Congressional district,” said Zbur.

The Equality California Political Action Committee endorses viable candidates who have a proven track record of supporting equal rights and legal protections for LGBT Californians and who are committed to advancing these goals in their capacity as elected officials.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor more than 100 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org