California state Assemblymember Richard Bloom has selected Desiree Jade Sol of West Hollywood as the 2014 Woman of the Year for the 50th Assembly District.

Sol, who lives in West Hollywood, is a transgender woman active in civic affairs. She has served on the city’s Transgender Advisory Board and now is a member of the Public Safety Commission. Sol is a third generation Mexican–American who was born and raised in Southern California.

Bloom said he selected Sol because of her commitment to fighting for equality and justice and for teaching all of us that we can make a difference. “Desiree is the perfect embodiment of this year’s Women’s History Month theme,” he said. “Her courage to live her life so openly and honestly and her commitment to helping others in the world is an inspiration to us all.”

Sol credits her late grandmother, Helen Godinez Lamb, for instilling in her the strength and motivation to make a difference. Sol has served as sub-committee chair on the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission’s Transgender Working Group and as private secretary of the Royal Court of West Hollywood. She has graduated from the Los Angeles Police Department’s LGBT Community Police Academy, the City of West Hollywood’s Community Through Engagement Academy and has been affiliated with Bienestar, Trangeneros Unidas, APLA, Hollywood National Organization of Women, Human Rights Campaign, Cornerstone Theater, Women at Risk and Break the Cycle.

Sol has also performed in “Making Paradise: The West Hollywood Musical” and has appeared in singer Diana Mera’s “Solemos” music video, “Trans Sister Tales,” “Nip Tuck,” and “Split Endz.”

During the annual Woman of the Year celebration, a woman from each Assembly District is honored in the State Capitol. Each honoree will be introduced on the Assembly Floor and receive a resolution honoring her accomplishments. Sol is the second transgender woman named “Woman of the Year” since the annual Capitol tradition began in 1987 as a way to highlight the achievements of outstanding women throughout the state during Women’s History Month.