The AP is reporting that Rep. Hilda Solis, one of California's most progressive house members and great friend to labor and the grassroots, will be President-elect Obama's choice for Labor Secretary.

A labor official says Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be nominated as labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.

The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east L.A. She is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants and has been the only member of Congress of Central American descent.

I agree with Juls at calitics. While this is a big loss for California, this is the nation's gain, as she will be a phenomenal champion for labor in President Obama's cabinet. Just to give you a taste of Solis's record -- and hence Barack Obama's commitment to labor by picking her -- according to Project Vote Smart, in 2007 Solis had 100% voting records with the interests of the AFL-CIO, SEIU, United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, to name just a few.

This is an interesting coda to Dave Dayen's post about California's rising influence nationally even as it flounders at home. He even had cited Solis as the "only woman who could fix California" as Governor. Clearly President-elect Obama had similar ideas about what Solis can do to the decimated US Labor department.

Update [2008-12-18 14:13:21 by Todd Beeton]:Watch Hilda Solis's passionate floor speech in support of The Employee Free Choice Act when it was up for a vote in 2007 (it passed easily in the House.) With Solis at Labor, this is a strong sign that Obama is serious about EFCA.

I rise in strong support as a family member from a strong union backgroud. My father was a shop steward for the Teamsters and my mother was a proud worker for the United Rubber Workers who worked tirelessly for 20 and 25 years. Without the help protection we received in retirement benefits I know myself and my seven siblings would not be where we are today.