By Kevin Johnson
We have lost a civil rights icon and immigration reformer. The first Latino on the California Supreme Court, Cruz Reynoso, passed away yesterday after a long illness. He celebrated his 90th birthday last weekend.
Here is a story on Cruz's passing in the Los Angeles Times.
The Reynoso family, through son Len ReidReynoso, released the following announcement:
I had the honor of being Cruz's colleague for years at UC Davis. We first met when he was a Justice on the California Supreme Court and I was a newly-minted attorney working in San Francisco. Later, I had a chance to get to know him as a colleague at UC Davis School of Law, where Cruz ended his illustrious and path-breaking career. As two early risers, we talked in the mornings regularly about current events, law, politics, families, taquerias, and the like. As Cruz often said, he had a "justice bone" that was quick to challenge injustice. He was as decent and genuine as anyone I have ever known and will be missed dearly.
Cruz came to UC Davis after a stint at UCLA School of Law. Then-Dean Rex Perschbacher made it his mission to bring Cruz to UC Davis. Besides teaching and writing (including a partially completed autobiography), Cruz was active in the UC Davis and greater community. He, for example, chaired a task force reviewing the police use of pepper spray against protesters. Cruz also investigated the killing of a farmworker by Yolo County law enforcement. Cruz once told me that he found civil rights work more rewarding than the "boring" work of completing his autobiography.
Upon Cruz's retirement, I had a fascinating interview with him for the UC Davis archives. Here is the video.
RIP Cruz Reynoso.
KJ
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