Jose Medina (born March 29, 1953) is an American educator and politician who served in the California State Assembly.^[1] He is a Democrat who represented the 61st Assembly District, which encompassed parts of northwestern Riverside County and includes the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris and Mead Valley.

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Quick Facts Member of the California State Assembly from the 61st district, Preceded by ...

Jose Medina
Member of the California State Assembly from the 61st district
In office December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2022
Preceded by	Norma J. Torres
Succeeded by	Tina McKinnor (redistricted)
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-29) March 29, 1953 (age 71) Panama
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Riverside, California
Alma mater	University of California, Riverside (BA) (MA)
Profession	Teacher

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Medina was the Chair of the Higher Education Committee^[2] and a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he was a teacher at Riverside Poly High School and a Riverside Community College District Trustee.

In 2018, Jose Medina secured $9.7 million in state funds^[3] through a budget allocation in the 2019 State Budget, signed by former California Governor Jerry Brown^[4] to support the development of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry of the Riverside Art Museum, also known as "The Cheech." The Cheech will reside in the City of Riverside and be a permanent home for Cheech Marin's collection of Chicano art, making it the most prominent collection of its kind in the United States.^[5]