To the well documented history of the contribution of the Portuguese to the economic development of the State of California, the upcoming book Portuguese Politicians in California, by Dr. Al Graves brings into focus the lesser known history and contributions by the many Portuguese-Americans who have been elected to state and federal office.

This well documented and richly illustrated publication, to be released by Portuguese Heritage Publications this Summer of 2013, introduces every Portuguese-American elected to federal or state office and analyses the circumstances that have led to the election of a very large number of Portuguese-Americans from the San Joaquin Valley, a number that far exceeds the smaller percentage of the Portuguese American population in the valley.

Portuguese Politicians in California, a joint effort by FLAD, Fundação Luso Americana para o Desenvolvimento and Portuguese Heritage Publications is another important work in this publisher’s efforts to research, document and disseminate the history of the Portuguese experience in California.