Senator Thomas J. Umberg Honors SD34 Woman of the Year
(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced today that he is honoring Leia Smith of Isaiah House, as Woman of the Year for the 34th Senate District.
“I am excited to be able to honor Leia as our Woman of the Year for 2019,” said Senator Umberg. “Leia has literally dedicated her home and life to the operation of a women’s homeless shelter for the past two decades and is a model of selflessness and compassion. She is a hero to the residents of the 34th Senate District and to those who have directly experienced her unflinching kindness.”
In 1997 Leia and her husband, Dwight Smith, moved to their home in Santa Ana and opened it to women living on the streets in the area on a crusade to fulfill fundamental beliefs she was taught from a young age: feed the hungry, heal the sick, and house the homeless regardless of where they come from.
Mrs. Smith has worked through numerous avenues to provide sanctuary and meet the needs of the dozens of women she and her husband are able to house daily. Leia views these women as guests in her home needing assistance, not as clients in need of business transactions. Her work has made her a strident advocate for the homeless where she and her husband take to the streets daily to feed those they cannot shelter.
Leia was born and raised in Northern California and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA. She is an inspiration to all those who meet her.
The California Legislative Women’s Caucus sponsors the annual “Woman of the Year” celebration. The event includes a special ceremony on the Senate Floor in which most of the Senators honor a woman who resides in their district or who have significantly contributed to their district.
Senator Umberg added that, “Leia takes care of those who have been forgotten by society – she treats them as human beings and provides them with dignity as she works to get them back on their feet. Orange County is lucky to have her and I am lucky to know her.”
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Senator Thomas Umberg represents the 34th Senate District which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, and former federal prosecutor. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.
