Assemblywoman Richardson was born April 14, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. A Democrat from Long Beach, she earned a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a MA in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. She served on the Long Beach City Council from 2000 to 2006. As a Councilwoman, her priorities were neighborhood improvement, public safety, attracting jobs and businesses to the citie’s central corridors, job training programs for adults, after school programs for youth and expanding senior programs. She was elected to the Assembly in 2006 where she was appointed to serve as the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore. Additionally, she was appointed to serve on the Budget, Human Services, Utilities & Commerce, Government Organization, and Joint Legislative Budget committees. She was chair of the Select Committee on Proposition 209-Equal Opportunity. She was elected to the House of Representatives in the 37th Congressional District in 2007, where she served until 2013.