Lloyd Monserratt

Infobox Person
name = Lloyd Monserratt


image_size =
caption = Lloyd Monserratt
birth_name =
birth_date = birth date|1966|12|2|mf=y
birth_place = Los Angeles, California, USA
death_date = Death date and age|2003|1|9|1966|12|2
death_place = Torrance, California, USA
death_cause = Pulmonary embolism
resting_place =
resting_place_coordinates =
residence =
other_names =
known_for =
education = BA, UCLA
employer = Los Angeles City Council
occupation =
party = Democrat
boards =
religion = Roman Catholic
spouse =
partner = Michelle Ramos

Lloyd Monserratt (December 2, 1966 - January 9, 2003), was born in Los Angeles, California, the eldest son of Ecuadorian immigrants Carlos and Olga Monserratt.cite news | first= Tony | last= Castro | url= http://wave.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=21299&sID=4 | title= Eastside Mourns Death of Pacheco's Top Aide | publisher= WAVE Community Newspapers | date= January 14, 2003] His father was an architect and named his eldest son after Frank Lloyd Wright.

Monserratt graduated with honors from Saint Francis High School in La Cañada. He was an Eagle Scout. A graduate of UCLA, Lloyd was a leader in the student movement, as a student commissioner, and later as student body president.

Known for his energy and enthusiasm,cite news | first= Staff Reports | last= Times | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Councilman Pacheco's Chief of Staff, 36, Dies (Part 2; Pg. 4) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= January 10, 2003] his brief life had an impact on the California and Latino political scenes. He trained a number future Latino politicians while a director at NALEO and was a political and community leader in his own right. His death, from a pulmonary embolism after a gastric bypass surgery, sent a shock through the California Democratic circles.cite news | first= Staff Reports | last= Times | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Councilman Pacheco's Chief of Staff, 36, Dies (Part 2; Pg. 4) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= January 10, 2003] At the time of his death, he was engaged to Michelle Ramos.cite news | first= Tony | last= Castro | url= http://wave.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=21299&sID=4 | title= Eastside Mourns Death of Pacheco's Top Aide | publisher= WAVE Community Newspapers | date= January 14, 2003]

Early political activism

Social activism was instilled in Monserratt early in life. At age 9 his father brought him along to protest the opening of the El Cid adult bookstore on Main Street in the San Gabriel Valley city of Alhambra. The store was eventually forced to close by the continuing presence of the protestors led by the Catholic League from the local parish.cite news|url= |publisher= Crown Cable Community TV Alhambra, CA, 818-796-9129|title=Broadcast Eulogy|date=January 16, 2003]

tudent leadership at UCLA

During his years at UCLA, Monserratt was extensively involved with the Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC). Leading a coalition of minority students, he was elected president of USAC in 1988. The 1988 campaign pitted the coalition of minority students, the "Third World Coalition", against the candidates put forth by members of Greek system (this antagonism continues today).cite news | first= Thomas | last= Soteros-Mcnamara| http://www.dailybruin.com/news/printable.asp?id=19284&date=4/18/2002 | title=Ballot, online voting have pros, cons | publisher= Daily Bruin | date=April 18, 2002]

After the election, he was declared ineligible due to a dispute over his academic and denied office. Prior to the election, the student Election Board had approved the applications of all candidates for President, certifying that they met the academic requirements among other things. Days after the election, the USAC members who had endorsed Monserratt's opponents voted to overrule the Election Board, applying their own eligilibity criteria retroactively. They were accused by many of subverting student democracy and taking through legislation what they had failed to win in the student vote.

After USAC ex post facto declared Monserratt ineligible, the Third World Coalition sought to put forth a new candidate in his place. However, this was not permitted by the USAC. Thus, the election to replace Monserratt was between Mike Meehan and Mike Soules (who had already lost in the primary and endorsed Mike Meehan), with Meehan eventually winning.cite news | first= Larry | last= Gordon | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Bodyguards Assigned To UCLA Activists for Vote (Part 2; p. 1) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= June 2, 1988]

Some students viewed the move as racially motivated, and a group of about 200, most of them members of minority groups, marched on the polling places after a heated rally protesting the disqualification.cite news | first= Report | last= AP | url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE7DE103BF93AA15756C0A96E948260 | title= U.C.L.A. Protesters Disrupt Voting for Student President | publisher= New York Times | date= May 29, 1988] A near riot ensued when candidates from the Third World Coalition slate protested the disqualification of their presidential candidate. The election was appealed through the internal student government appellate process, and the school administration, where Monserratt's ineligibility was affirmed.cite news | first= Thomas | last= Soteros-Mcnamara| http://www.dailybruin.com/news/printable.asp?id=19284&date=4/18/2002 | title=Ballot, online voting have pros, cons | publisher= Daily Bruin | date=April 18, 2002] cite news | first= JUDY | last= PASTERNAK | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Racial Tension Erupts In Melee at UCLA (Part 2; Pg. 1) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= May 27, 1988]

At the time, Monserratt said he did not condone the violence and had left before it erupted. "This event was being used as an outlet for (student) frustrations," over racial problems, Monserratt said, "We have not seen a real commitment (from the University of California) to diversify our faculty, our programs, our administration."cite news | first= JUDY | last= PASTERNAK | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Racial Tension Erupts In Melee at UCLA (Part 2; Pg. 1) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= May 27, 1988]

California State Senator Art Torres, chairman of a special Senate committee on UC admissions, said the UCLA's administration was partly responsible for the troubles by not making minority students feel welcome on campus and that the election melee, while unfortunate, "was merely a catalyst for what was brewing underneath." In the fall of 1988, Torres held a hearing about racial tensions at UCLA, a series of racial incidents on that campus and on the UC's plans to ease the tensions.cite news | first= Larry | last= Gordon | url= http://www.latimes.com| title= Bodyguards Assigned To UCLA Activists for Vote (Part 2; Pg. 1) | publisher= Los Angeles Times | date= June 2, 1988]

After a change of control two years later, Monserratt's election victory was certified by the student government. Though he did not serve, Monserratt will be remembered as one of the few Latino undergraduate presidents in UCLA history. His picture currently hangs in the Student Body President's Office along with the other elected Presidents of the UCLA student government.cite news | first=Vanda
last= Suvansilpakit | url= http://www.dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=22262| title= Political activist, former Bruin dies | publisher= Daily Bruin | date=January 13, 2003]

Political

Monserratt honed his political organizing skills learned at UCLA by working for many California political campaigns. He used his experience to train future Latino politicians while the Director of Constituency Services at NALEO. A noted campaign manager, House minority leader Richard Gephardt once asked Monserratt to help with several close congressional races in California and Nevada. With Monserratt's help all six of the Democrats were elected.cite news | first= Tony | last= Castro | url= http://wave.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=21299&sID=4 | title= Eastside Mourns Death of Pacheco's Top Aide | publisher= WAVE Community Newspapers | date= January 14, 2003] His personal style was to work behind the scenes supporting and influencing candidates and issues.

Candidates running for office he advised included Lucia Rivera, Ed Reyes, Vicki Castro, Jocelyn Yap, Nick Pacheco,cite news | first=Robert | last=Greene | url= http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/the-silenced-warrior/3229 | title= The Silenced Warrior | publisher= LA Weekly | date=January 16, 2003] the failed mayoral bid by Xavier Becerracite news | first= Tony | last= Castro | url= http://wave.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=21299&sID=4 | title= Eastside Mourns Death of Pacheco's Top Aide | publisher= WAVE Community Newspapers | date= January 14, 2003] and the Texas Senate campaign of Victor Morales.cite news | first= | last= | url=http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/wr/article/0,17585,93897,00.html| title= State Scorecard | publisher= Time Magazine | date=November, 1996]

Monserratt was involved in local Los Angeles politics. In 2001, while on leave from Pacheco's office to run the campaign of Ed Reyes for 1st District seat of the city council, Monserratt was involved in a small campaign scandal. Monserratt ran the phone-bank computers contracted to the mayoral campaign of Xavier Becerra. The campaign ran a tape of someone impersonating Gloria Molina disparaging the voting record of mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa. Though no laws had been broken, this action tarnished the reputations of all involved.cite news | first=Mark | last=Haefele | url= http://www.laweekly.com/news/city-limits/the-new-alignment/11026| title= The New Alignment | publisher= LA Weekly | date=May 30, 2001 ]

Community action

Believing in the concept of direct action, Monserratt was known for working tirelessly as a community builder. He created the Parents Institute while Chief of Staff to LAUSD Board Member Vicki Castro,cite web|url= http://www.metnews.com/articles/mons011003.htm |work= Metropolitan News-Enterprise|title=Pacheco Chief of Staff and Campaign Strategist, Dies at 36|accessmonthday=July 28 |accessyear=2006] and Los Angeles' "Bulky Item drop off centers."cite news | first= Nick | last= Pacheco | url= http://www.boulevardsentinel.com/07-2003.htm | title= Dear Friends ... | publisher= Boulevard Sentinel - VOLUME VII ISSUE 3 | date= July 1, 2003]

"He had already become a legend, at the age of 36, throughout the greater Eastside of the city of Los Angeles and throughout the Latino community statewide," said Council President Alex Padilla. "I don't think he had an equal."cite news | first= Tony | last= Castro | url= http://wave.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=21299&sID=4 | title= Eastside Mourns Death of Pacheco's Top Aide | publisher= WAVE Community Newspapers | date= January 14, 2003]

"He was a tremendous leader and motivator of people," said David Hoffman, who was USAC president during the 1988 election and was a close friend of Monserratt.cite news | first=Vanda
last= Suvansilpakit | url= http://www.dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=22262| title= Political activist, former Bruin dies | publisher= Daily Bruin | date=January 13, 2003]

Quotes

Memorials

*El Sereno Branch Library [http://www.lapl.org/branches/21.html Los Angeles Public Library | El Sereno ] ] (in memory of Lloyd Monserratt)cite web|url= http://www.lapl.org/about/blc_minutes/MinMaster03.pdf |work= lapl.org|title= Minutes of the City of Los Angeles Board of Library Commissioners, [January 13, 2003] |accessdate=2006-07-28]
*Lloyd Monserratt Pleasant House, Jovenes, Inc. - Providing emergency shelter to homeless, immigrant youth.

ee also

*List of notable UCLA alumni
*Notable Hispanics
*List of people from California
*List of notable Eagle Scouts
*Lloyd Monserratt Young Leaders Memorial Fund

External links

* Congressional Tribute in Honor of Mr. Lloyd Monserratt [http://icreport.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r108:E20JN3-0030: Extensions of Remarks, by Hon. Xavier Becerra, In the House Of Representatives] , June 19, 2003
* [http://www.accessduarte.com/content/CityGovernment/pdf-archive/min12803.pdf Tribute by the City Council of the City of Duarte] - January 28, 2003

References