DIANE WATSON

Position: State Senator, 26th Senate District, which includes the Crenshaw District, South Central Los Angeles, the Wilshire Corridor and Culver City

Born: South Central Los Angeles, Nov. 12, 1933

Education: B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.S., California State University, Los Angeles; Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School

Career: Teacher, school administrator, textbook author. Served on Los Angeles Unified School District board from 1975-1978. First African-American woman elected to the California Senate in 1978.

Personal: Single

Hobbies: Traveling, cooking, reading