Dallas, Texas. By Luis Lara. Attorney Roberto R. Alonzo represents District 104 in Dallas Count in the Texas House of Representatives and is a candidate for re-election. Mr. Alonzo is a Democrat and Democratic Primary Elections are to be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Early elections (Early vote) will be held between Tuesday, February 20 and Friday, March 2.
Originally from Crystal City, State Rep. Alonzo serves House District 104 in the Texas Legislature which is in Southwest Dallas including primarily the communities of Oak Cliff, Cockrell Hill, Grand Prairie, North Oak Cliff, West Dallas, Arcadia Park, as well as a portion of south Irving.
All during his tenure in office, the candidate has distinguished himself as a person who has worked positively in favor of the North Texas community. Proving that he is a leader who is not afraid to fight against discrimination, he stood up and spoke in favor of the citizens of District 104 and opposed the unnecessary voter identification bill, defended the sanctuary cities, spoke out against the elimination of other offensive legislation.
Roberto is an advocate for public education, including full-day pre-kindergarten, as well as access to health care for our citizens, including our seniors and the expansion of CHIP / Medicaid and women’s health care. He continues to advocate for more services for our war veterans.
He has raised his voice to support his people, as the most prestigious member of: The Education Committee, vice president of the Pension Committee, and a member of the Calendars Committee, Roberto always talks about critical issues, whether access to higher education or pension plans for teachers, police or firefighters.
“As a candidate for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives, I respectfully ask for your support again to vote for me in the March primary elections. As your Representative, I remain committed to fight for the citizens of District 104. I will continue to work aggressively and advocate for quality education, accessible health care, including the expansion of Medicaid, funds for women’s health and a strong economy with jobs well paid,” said Roberto R. Alonzo.
Roberto R. Alonzo continues to receive support from organizations whose memberships know and recognize his leadership in the Texas Legislature, both for his district and for all the state of Texas, such as: Apartment Association of Greater Dallas; Dallas AFL-CIO Council; MetroTex Association of Realtors; Progressive Voters League – New Era; Sierra Club; Texas State Teachers Association/NEA, among others.
When he was first elected, Rep. Alonzo made history by becoming the first Mexican American from North Texas elected to the Legislature, outdistancing his opponents by a 2 to 1 margin with over 66% percent of the vote. However, making history is nothing new to Rep. Alonzo. In 1978, as a college student, Rep. Alonzo became the first Hispanic elected President of the Student Government at the University of Texas at Austin. An accomplished attorney, Rep. Alonzo is an alumnus of Thurgood Marshal School of Law at Texas Southern University, where he obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1984; Mr. Alonzo has been recognized by the Board of Regents and President of Texas Southern University for his leadership. He is currently a self-practitioner and small business owner in Dallas where he specializes in criminal law. In addition to his law practice, Rep. Alonzo is actively involved in a number of community affairs in the Dallas metroplex area. A former Board Member of both the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART), he has also served as an active Board Member of Hispanic PAC/USA in Washington, D.C. and the Mexican American Bar Association.
Rep. Alonzo currently serves on the Texas House Higher Education Committee, Calendars Committee, and as Vice Chair of the Pensions Committee. He was honored by being selected to serve on the State Democratic Executive Committee by his peers in the House Democratic Caucus. He was named Legislator of the Year in 2015 by the Texas Public Employees Association, a non-union, non-partisan legislative advocacy organization for Texas state government employees and retirees. Rep. Alonzo distinguished himself in the eyes of the association’s 15,000 members for the leadership role he took in addressing the unfunded liabilities of the Employees Retirement System (ERS) pension fund through the authorship and passage of House Bill 9.
Rep. Roberto R. Alonzo is also an active member of both the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), and served as Chair of the Higher Education Task Force in the Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
Rep. Alonzo is married to the former Sylvana Avila, also of Crystal City. They have three children: Roberto, Jr.; Maria Xiomara; and Jose Maria Emeterio.
