Thanks to those of you who helped make the Honorable David A. Roberti Celebration on Feb 29th such a success. View event photos.
Host Committee & Sponsors
- Mel Assagai*
- Cliff Berg*
- Kathy Bowler*
- John Burton, CA Democratic Party Chairman
- Donne Brownsey*
- John Chiang, CA State Treasurer
- Steve Coony*
- Kevin de Leon, President Pro Tem CA State Senate
- Steve Glazer, CA State Senator
- Robert Hertzberg, CA State Senator*
- Bill Lockyer, CA State Treasurer (Ret.)
- Jim Nielsen, CA State Senator
- Alex Padilla, CA Secretary of State
- Maeley Tom*
- Art Torres, CA State Senator (Ret.)
- Diane Watson, Member, US Congress (Ret.)
- Jerry Zanelli
* Sponsors
The Honorable David A. Roberti Award
For sixty years, Loyola Marymount University has participated in the annual Sacramento Legislative Seminar. This annual event brings student delegations from numerous colleges and universities throughout California to the state capitol for the opportunity to engage with their state government. These rich interactions are achieved through moderated panel discussions featuring legislators, staffers, lobbyists, and journalists and site visits to various executive, legislative, and judicial offices.
The success of this program relies not only on students’ interest in California politics, but also their ability to self-fund the modest yet necessary costs related to their time in Sacramento. Through a generous donation from its namesake, the Honorable David A. Roberti Award was established to aid LMU students participating in the Sacramento Legislative Seminar by assisting them with their travel expenses and registration fees associated with the multi-day program.
Celebrate with us as we commemorate the legacy David Roberti left behind in Sacramento and the one he is continuing at LMU. Please consider joining him in a contribution to the Honorable David A. Roberti Award.
Loyola Marymount University President’s Award
Concurrent with his recognition for creating the Honorable David A. Roberti Award, LMU is proud to announce David Roberti as the recipient of the President’s Award. The President’s Award recognizes those who have made a profound and enduring contribution to the greater good of society. The award is conferred on a selective basis to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for genuine achievement and distinction that enriches humanity and supports the mission of the University. This year, President Timothy Law Snyder will honor LMU alumnus David A. Roberti ’61.
David A. Roberti was born on March 4, 1939 in Los Angeles, California. He received a B.A. in political science from Loyola University in 1961 and a J.D. from the University of Southern California in 1964.
He first served as a clerk for the Los Angeles-area District Court of Appeals from 1964 to 1965 and as Deputy Attorney General from 1965 to 1966. He then became the youngest legislator elected into office, elected to the California State Assembly in 1966 at the age of 26. He was elected to the State Senate in 1971, climbing up the ranks in legislative leadership as Senate Majority Leader from 1976 to 1980 and then as Senate President pro Tempore from 1980 to 1994.
After leaving the California State Legislature in 1994, he served on various management boards and taught political science at both LMU and USC. He has served as a partner at Roberti Jensen LLP since 2002 and is currently the president of the Bioenergy Producers Association.
Roberti donated papers documenting his 28 years as a state legislator to LMU’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles in 1996. Comprising nearly 400 archival boxes, the David A. Roberti Papers include legislative history, press releases, and committee and Senate Democratic Caucus ephemera. This collection is currently housed in LMU’s Department of Archives and Special Collections.