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Ron Latz

Ron Latz
Member of the Minnesota Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Constituency46th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 8, 2013
Preceded bySteve Kelley
Succeeded byTerri Bonoff
Constituency44th district
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 44B district
In office
January 7, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byredrawn district
Succeeded byRyan Winkler
Personal details
Born (1963-08-09) August 9, 1963 (age 61)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
SpouseJulia Shmidov
Children3
RelativesBob Latz (father)
Residence(s)St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Ronald Steven Latz (/ˈlæts/ LATS;[1] born August 9, 1963) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 46, which includes parts of Hennepin County in the western Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Early life and education

Latz attended Golden Valley High School in Golden Valley and Lindberg High School in Hopkins, graduating in 1981. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1985 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1988.

Political career

Latz was a Minnesota assistant attorney general for the Public Safety and Human Services Division under Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III from 1989 to 1995, then became a partner in the St. Louis Park law firm of Latz and Latz.[2][3]

Latz has been active on various government and community councils and boards. He was a member of the St. Louis Park City Council from 1994 to 2003, also serving as mayor pro tem from 1999 to 2003. He is a former member of the Minnesota Attorney General's task forces on Health Care and Privacy. He is also a former state advocacy chair of the American Cancer Society, a former member of the Anti-Defamation League's Civil Rights and Education committees, and a former member of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing.[3]

Minnesota legislature

Latz was first elected to the Senate in 2006, and reelected in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2022.[2]

Before being elected to the Senate, Latz was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 44B (before the 2002 legislative redistricting, the area was District 44A). He was first elected to the House in 2002, and reelected in 2004. In the House, he served on the Capital Investment, Civil Law, Education Policy and Reform, and Higher Education Finance committees.[2] His father, Robert Latz, also served in the House, representing the old districts 35 and 39 from 1959 to 1967.[4]

He served as a majority whip from 2007 to 2011.[5]

Latz served on the following committees for the 2021–22 legislative biennium:[6]

  • Civil Law and Data Practices Policy
  • Ranking Minority Chair of Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy

His special legislative concerns are criminal and civil justice, consumer protection, and education.[6]

Latz supports gun control and a bill banning assault weapons.[7]

On November 29, 2023, during a press conference to condemn a movement that seeks to boycott or divest from Israel ahead of a meeting of the State Board of Investment, Latz said, "Palestinian youth dream of the opportunity to achieve glory and even martyrdom by killing as many Jews as possible".[8] After he was called out for his statements, he doubled down, saying his colleagues were taking out of context a sentence about Gaza youth and schools that allegedly train terrorists.[9]

Personal life

His father Bob Latz also served in the Minnesota Legislature.[10] He is Jewish.[2]

References

  1. ^ Press Conference: Previewing Public Safety Conference Committee Report - 05/12/23. Minnesota State Senate Media Services. May 12, 2023. Event occurs at 00:29. Retrieved August 23, 2024 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Latz, Ronald Steven". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  3. ^ a b "Project Vote Smart - Senator Ronald Steven 'Ron' Latz - Biography". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Latz, Robert". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  5. ^ "Senator Ron Latz DFL District 44". Senate.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  6. ^ a b "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  7. ^ "Gun bills move past prior chokepoint in Minnesota Senate". 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  8. ^ "DFL Senator draws heat for 'inflammatory' comments about Palestinians". 30 November 2023.
  9. ^ "State senator responds to rebuke from colleagues over comments on Palestinians". December 2023.
  10. ^ Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Robert "Bob" Latz
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