Red Cross Barrios was the CEO of various regions of the
Red Cross in the US from 2011 to 2020. Barrios took over as CEO of the Red Cross of
Los Angeles on March 3, 2014. As a state senator, Barrios successfully helped lead the legislative effort to protect
marriage equality in Massachusetts, and is best known for a globally televised speech where he spoke on discrimination faced by his own family. Barrios chaired the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. He authored legislation creating a state
witness protection program and establishing an anti-gang violence grant program known as the Shannon Grant. He also authored one of the nation's most comprehensive
identity theft laws, which provided new protections to consumers whose personal data is stolen from retailers or other third parties. Barrios wrote a law updating state fire codes in the wake of a
deadly night club fire in neighboring Rhode Island. He also authored an "anti-bullying" bill, which only passed the state Senate, directing schools to respond more aggressively to student reports of violence and "cyber bullying." On other issues, Barrios authored a law designed to protect homeowners from foreclosure and to crack down on unscrupulous subprime lenders. The law created a first-in-the-nation requirement that mortgage bankers and brokers abide by the state
Community Reinvestment Act, which previously applied only to credit unions and banks. He led Senate passage of legislation promoting "
environmental justice," addressing health care disparities among minorities, and strengthening enforcement of "buffer zones" around women's health facilities.
Subsequent politics During the
2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Barrios
endorsed the
candidacy of
Hillary Clinton. == Other organizations ==