ABOUT
The Virginia Latino Caucus (VLC), led by Co-Chairs Delegates Alfonso López (D-Arlington), Marty Martínez (D-Leesburg), and Phil Hernández (D-Norfolk) was founded to help promote Virginia’s diverse Hispanic and Latino community and its priorities in the Virginia General Assembly.
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The VLC is comprised of members of the House of Delegates and the State Senate whose ethnicity or ancestry originate from Latin America or identify significantly with Hispanic culture. The VLC advocates for the well-being of fellow Latino Virginians and New Virginians by drawing attention to the integral role Latinos play in Virginia daily life and by proposing policy that supports these communities.
VLC Members
Current membership of the VLC
Alfonso López
Co-Chair
As the son of a formerly undocumented father from Venezuela, Alfonso has been a leader in advocating for the rights of the immigrant and New American communities in Virginia. Since his first campaign for the House of Delegates, Alfonso’s signature issue has been expanding educational opportunity to undocumented and mixed-status families in Virginia like his own.
He worked with Attorney General Mark Herring to expand in-state tuition to kids with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status in 2013 and, after years of lobbying his colleagues, finally passed the Virginia Dream Act in 2020—granting in-state tuition eligibility to all Virginia students, regardless of immigration status.
In 2021, Alfonso continued his work championing the Virginia Dreamers agenda by introducing and passing legislation expanding financial aid eligibility to undocumented Virginia students. These victories are in addition to Alfonso’s successful efforts to pass legislation protecting undocumented victims and witnesses of crimes from having to reveal their immigration statuses to the police, repealing mandatory immigration reporting provisions for law enforcement, and ensuring that undocumented Virginians are covered by Emergency Medicaid for COVID treatment, testing, and vaccinations.
Fernando "Marty" Martínez
Co-Chair
Fernando “Marty” Martinez is the former Vice Mayor of the Town of Leesburg and is the Delegate-Elect of Virginia’s newly created 29th House District.
Marty grew up in Southern California in a small house with four brothers and five sisters. At a young age, he was inspired by the resilience and sacrifice of his mother, who worked tirelessly to provide for their family and make ends meet.
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Upon graduating high school, Marty enlisted in the United States Air Force and served for over seven years before being honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1978. Through the GI Bill, Marty earned his B.S. degrees in Economics and Computer Science from Portland State University, Oregon.
Marty moved to the Town of Leesburg with his wife Doris and children in 1993 and began working as a government contractor supporting the Federal Aviation Administration. He became involved with the Loudoun community as a baseball coach, PTO president, Boy Scout leader, and community advocate.
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In 2002, Marty Martinez ran for and successfully won a seat on Leesburg Town Council and has been re-elected for four additional four-year terms. He was elected Vice Mayor in January 2019 and previously served as Vice Mayor from July 2004 to June 2006.
On Town Council, Marty has worked to grow Leesburg while preserving its historic character. Time and again, he’s fought for our Virginia values by building consensus and engaging in people-centric policy.
Marty lives in Leesburg with his wife, Doris. He has five children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Phil Hernández
Co-Chair
Phil was born and raised in Hampton Roads, attended local public schools, and received a Gates Millennium Scholarship, which made it possible for him to attend William & Mary and become the first in his family to graduate from college. He was determined to put that education to good use, to solve problems, and to serve others.
Currently, Phil is the Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy for a nonprofit organization. In this leadership role, Phil has been on the front lines fighting for solutions that benefit Virginia families, from raising the minimum wage to increasing teacher pay and funding K-12 public schools.
Previously, Phil served as a Senior Policy Analyst in President Obama’s White House Domestic Policy Council, where he partnered with leaders across the country to expand affordable clean energy, fight for clean air and water, and help coordinate the response to the BP Oil Spill, the worst spill in American history.
Phil has also worked as a civil rights attorney, a role that allowed him to bring together people from all walks of life in the name of creating better economic opportunities for all people.
In recent years, Phil helped pass laws in Virginia to increase the minimum wage, lower taxes for families, and support our local public schools. He will use his experience to bring people together and get things done.
Phil has always looked for creative ways to build community. He’s organized free classes in Norfolk to help locals learn American Sign Language (ASL). And when the baby formula shortage was at its peak in 2022, Phil created a new tool to help local families more easily find formula for their children.