Hilda Solis resigns as labor secretary, may run for Supes

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the former LA-area congresswoman and state lawmaker, submitted her resignation on Wednesday to President Obama. "She is expected to run for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors," AP reports.

One of the highest-ranking Hispanics in Obama's administration, Solis has won praise from labor unions for aggressive enforcement of wage and hour laws and job safety regulations. But business groups have criticized her as not taking a more cooperative approach.

"Leaving the department is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, because I have taken our mission to heart," Solis said. "As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle-class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve."

President Barack Obama called Solis "a tireless champion for working families."

"Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class," Obama said in a statement.

Chatter has connected Solis to the seat where Supervisor Gloria Molina will be termed out in 2014. Solis is from La Puente and currently a resident, I believe, of the El Monte area. He congressional seat covered parts of the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. She was the first Latina to serve in the state Senate.