California's First Latino Supreme Court Justice To Address 'Role Of Latinos In A Changing America' Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5JnnaaKSs

Cruz Reynoso went from being the child of farm workers in Southern California to becoming the first Latino to sit on the bench at the state's highest court. He also faced controversy along the way — becoming one of only three justices ever recalled by California voters, along with Chief Justice Rose Bird and Joseph Grodin.

Reynoso, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2001, was in San Diego on Tuesday for a lecture at UC San Diego in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. The late labor leader's legacy is observed on March 31.

The lecture, "The Role of Latinos in a Changing America," will focus on the largest minority population in the U.S., and the potential impact of Latinos on current issues. The talk is part of UC San Diego's Helen Edison Lecture Series.

UC San Diego Helen Edison Lecture Series Presents Former California Justice Cruz Reynoso When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: San Diego Public Library at 330 Park Blvd. Admission: Free Online: Go to go to ucsandiegoextension.wordpress.com.

Reynoso said Latinos — and all Californians — have a responsibility to embrace diversity and recognize the different ethic groups.

“One of the most important roles we have is the following: California, to me, represents what America will be in 20, 30, 40 years. We have a responsibility in California to make sure that experiment (of diversity) works,” Reynoso told KPBS Midday Edition on Tuesday. “We are becoming a very different country than we were 50 to 100 years ago.”

In the early part of his career, Reynoso worked alongside Chavez as a community organizer in Imperial County. He then went on to become the first Latino lawyer for the California Rural Legal Association and eventually headed the group.

FEATURED PODCAST KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute.





Sign up for Today's Top Stories newsletter Need help keeping up with the news that matters most? Get the day's top news — ranging from local to international — straight to your inbox each weekday morning. Enter your email address

KPBS Midday Edition is a daily radio news magazine keeping San Diego in the know on everything from politics to the arts.

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.