As a teenager growing up in Ventura County, Luisa Menchaca already was learning first-hand about the importance of public service and the political process.

"I worked as a volunteer in numerous campaigns, walked precincts, and took part in voter registration and voter education," Menchaca recalled. "While I was probably 16 or 17 at the time, I liked the fact that I could directly participate and help promote the issues and candidates I supported."

Today, Menchaca is still committed to the ideals of public service. But now she has risen to a much higher vantage point. She is general counsel to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, one of state government's most important legal posts and one that is crucial to the fair and lawful workings of the state's political process.

"Obviously I feel very strongly about the public service aspect of my life. All of my professional career has been in service to the public, mainly through my work for government entities," Menchaca said. "From a philosophical point of view, I believe there is a role for individuals such as myself who see government as an integral part of our society, providing needed services and information to the public."

As general counsel to the bipartisan and independent FPPC, Menchaca oversees the commission's legal division, serves as legal advisor to the chairman and commissioners, coordinates litigation strategies and ensures that staff gives consistent and sound advice to public officials. Among other duties, she coordinates the development of legislative proposals, regulations and commission opinions.

Menchaca was named general counsel in February of this year. She first came to work for the FPPC nearly 12 years ago, in 1990, and has also served the commission as assistant general counsel, legal division counsel and legislative coordinator.

As general counsel, she is playing a major role in the implementation of Proposition 34, a sweeping political reform ballot measure approved by California voters in November 2000. Among other accomplishments, she coordinated completion of the commission's exhaustive, two-year revision of complex conflict-of-interest regulations. She has worked on implementation of various amendments to the Political Reform Act (PRA) resulting from legislation and other ballot measures, including the 1990 ethics reform measure, Proposition 112.

Prior to joining the FPPC, Menchaca was a consultant to the state Assembly Elections and Reapportionment Committee and worked for the Senate Office of Research. She developed a strong interest in governmental ethics as a result of work assignments requiring analysis of the Political Reform Act and the Elections Code.

Menchaca's journey to her current FPPC post is a story of modern California. A native of Zacatecas, Mexico, she emigrated to southern California as a young girl with her family. She was raised in Ventura County, graduated from Santa Paula High School and attended Ventura Community College, where -- continuing her active political involvement -- she volunteered for the campaign of one of her mentors, Ray Reyes, a professor who was running for the community college district board.

"That race really sparked my interest. I knew the candidate personally and I wanted to see him have a greater voice in education issues," Menchaca recalled.

After community college, Menchaca received her undergraduate degree in political science from Loyola Marymount University and a law degree from UC Davis.

As a young mother and law student in 1982-85, Menchaca helped establish a child care cooperative operated by and for Davis law students. Menchaca recalled that launching the cooperative was a "sheer necessity" -- her second son was born the weekend before she started her second year of classes.

Nobody can question Menchaca's devotion to either family or career. Although still in the hospital with her infant son, she had been told by a school administrator that she would be dropped from a popular corporate law class if she missed the first day. Not wanting to risk a delay in getting her degree, Menchaca checked herself out of the hospital, rushed to class, and then checked herself back into the hospital.

"The class instructor was wonderful. When I showed up he said, 'What are you doing here?' When I explained what I had been told about not missing the first day, he said he would work with me to ensure I would catch up, and that I was not to return until the following week."

Menchaca and her husband Mike reside in Sacramento. They are very proud of their three sons: Miguel, 21, recently promoted to lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps; Emilio, 18, who graduated from Christian Brothers High School and will be studying computer science at California State University, Sacramento, and Juan, 13, who attends All Hallows School.

Menchaca faces many immediate demands in her post as FPPC general counsel but also has developed numerous goals, including helping the commission implement the complex provisions of Proposition 34 and, in the longer term, simplify campaign reporting procedures. Menchaca praised Commission Chairman Karen Getman, as a "woman of vision" who doesn't hesitate to encourage and promote FPPC staff based on their experience and abilities.

"I don't know if am the first Latina general counsel for a state agency, but I may be," Menchaca said. "This has nothing to do with me, but I think any time a person is given an opportunity to serve in such a capacity and hopefully demonstrate it is possible to do a good job, it is extremely valuable to the community as a whole, including the Latino community. Chairman Getman is cognizant that it is important for our workforce to reflect the composition of the state."

In her own role as general counsel, Menchaca hopes to encourage more people to take an interest in the Political Reform Act and the role of the FPPC. "I've seen too many situations where candidates and public officials aren't familiar with the law or even ignore it. But it is an important area of the law because it impacts the political process and ethics in government."

Both personally and professionally, Menchaca's philosophy "is that we should all strive to achieve our maximum potential. The fact that I am a Chicana or a woman in this job isn't as important to me as sending a message to young people that whatever obstacles they face, if they set their minds to something, they can achieve it."