REMEMBERING LARRY MAZZOLA, SR.

On 2026-08-04, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) delivered a floor speech titled "REMEMBERING LARRY MAZZOLA, SR." in the Senate.

REMEMBERING LARRY MAZZOLA, SR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 127 (Tuesday, August 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 127 (Tuesday, August 4, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4429] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING LARRY MAZZOLA, SR. Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Larry Mazzola, Sr., a towering figure in California's labor movement, a proud San Franciscan, and a relentless advocate for working people who passed away in early May at the age of 82. Larry leaves behind a powerful legacy that helped shape the Bay Area labor movement, as well as the lives of countless workers and families across California. For decades, Larry Mazzola, Sr., stood as one of San Francisco's most respected and formidable voices for organized labor, a legacy deeply rooted in family tradition. His father Joseph Mazzola led San Francisco's plumbers union for more than four decades, instilling in Larry a deep commitment to solidarity, dignity, and the belief that every worker deserves fair wages, safe working conditions, and the opportunity to provide for their family. Larry carried that mission forward throughout his life and career, and passed it on to his own son Larry Mazzola, Jr., who continues the family tradition as the head of U.A. Local 38 and president of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council. A native son of San Francisco, Larry dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to U.A. Local 38 and the United Association, serving in wide- ranging roles including assistant training director, organizer, business agent, and ultimately, 24 years as business manager and financial secretary-treasurer. Through his leadership, he helped guide generations of workers into the middle class and fought tirelessly to secure family-supporting wages, quality healthcare, strong retirement benefits, and safe workplaces for workers across the Bay Area. Larry's leadership helped establish some of the strongest labor standards in the Nation and ensured that thousands of workers could retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. His impact on the labor movement was so profound that U.A. Local 38's union hall is named in his honor. Larry also served the people of San Francisco with distinction as a member of the San Francisco Airport Commission for 26 years, including nearly 18 years as its president. Even in public office, Larry never lost sight of where he came from or whom he represented. He brought the same unwavering advocacy for working people into government service, protecting the rights, wages, and benefits of union workers at San Francisco International Airport and setting an example for labor representation in public institutions nationwide. In recognition of Larry's extraordinary contributions to the city, San Francisco declared a ``Larry Mazzola Sr. Day'' when he retired from the airport commission in 2022, a fitting honor for someone whose life's work left an indelible mark on the city he loved. Larry Mazzola, Sr., devoted his life to fighting for working people and ensuring that future generations would have greater opportunity and security than the generations before them. His impact can still be felt in the strength of organized labor throughout the Bay Area and in the countless workers and families whose lives were improved through his advocacy and leadership. Angela and I send our deepest condolences to the entire Mazzola family, to his brothers and sisters in labor, and to all those whose lives he touched through his decades of service and leadership. ____________________