Florencio Briones:
A Product of Our Schools,
A Lifetime of Service
Trustee Florencio Briones is a lifelong El Monte resident, public servant, community volunteer, and proud product of our local public schools whose life and career have been shaped by education, organized labor, and a commitment to giving back to the community that raised him.
Florencio grew up in a working-class family where he learned early the importance of hard work, persistence, and the dignity of labor. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father worked as a machine operator and was a union member with both the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers. That family connection to the labor movement helped shape Florencio’s belief in workers having a voice, fair treatment on the job, and the opportunity to build a better life for their families. Florencio later became a union member himself, first as a member of California School Employees Association Chapter 11 while working for the El Monte Union High School District and today as a member of SEIU Local 2015.
Florencio’s educational journey began in the same public schools he now helps govern. He graduated from Mountain View High School in 2000 and later attended Pasadena City College. In 2004, he earned a Certificate in Computer Information Systems, beginning a career in technology. Years later, while balancing work, public service, and community responsibilities, Florencio returned to college and earned three associate degrees from Pasadena City College in Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and History. He continued his education at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and graduated cum laude in 2025. He has also earned a Master’s in Governance certificate from the California School Boards Association.
His professional career has given him experience across education, government, technology, policy, and constituent service. From 2001 to 2011, Florencio worked for the El Monte Union High School District as a classified information technology employee. Working behind the scenes in the district gave him firsthand experience with the people and systems that support students every day and an appreciation for the essential role classified employees play in public education.
Florencio later expanded his public service experience in Los Angeles County government. From 2018 through 2021, he served as a Senior Field Deputy and LGBTQ Liaison for Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. In that role, he worked on issues affecting communities throughout the San Gabriel Valley, including housing and homelessness, environmental justice, LGBTQ issues, and constituent services. He coordinated critical community operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, including food distribution, testing, vaccination, and outreach to communities disproportionately affected by the crisis. He also represented the Supervisor on the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, including service on its governing board and on homelessness work.
Florencio brought that professional and community experience back to the schools that shaped his life. He was first elected to the El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustees in 2017 and was reelected in 2022. He became the first openly gay man to serve on the Board. He served as Board President in 2020 and 2021, helping lead the district through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has served again as Board President since 2025.
His involvement in public education extends beyond his own school district. Florencio has twice been elected by fellow school board members to the California School Boards Association Delegate Assembly, representing school districts in CSBA Region 23-B. Earlier this year, Florencio was appointed by CSBA President-elect Sabrena Rodriguez to serve on the CSBA Legislative Committee for the 2027 year. He also represents the El Monte Union High School District in the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, where he serves as Secretary-Treasurer, and has remained active in advocating for public education at the local, state, and federal levels.
Community service has been a constant throughout Florencio’s life. He is a member of the El Monte Women’s Club, where he serves as Third Vice President, and chairs the Scholarship Committee to help raise funds to support local students pursuing higher education. He serves with the El Monte Historical Society, helping preserve and share the history of the community he has called home throughout his life, and has volunteered with El Monte/South El Monte Meals on Wheels, helping serve residents in need.
Florencio’s commitment to service also reaches back to his teenage years. In 1999, he attended the American Legion California Boys State program as a high school student. The experience deepened his interest in government and public service, and he later returned as a volunteer staff member, helping future generations of young Californians gain the same opportunity to learn about citizenship, leadership, and government.
Trustee Florencio Briones understands firsthand the difference that public schools, educational opportunity, and community institutions can make in a person’s life. His journey from Mountain View High School student to district employee, college graduate, public servant, and President of the Board of Trustees reflects his belief that public service is ultimately about giving others the opportunities you once received.
For Florencio, service is not simply something he does. It is how he gives back to the schools, neighborhoods, workers, families, and community that helped make him who he is.