The Sisters Sanchez made history when labor lawyer Linda won election to the 39th Congressional District in southern Los Angeles County, and in January joined the four-term Loretta, who made national headlines in defeating longtime Rep. Robert K. Dornan, a staunch conservative.
Now, Reps. Linda and Loretta Sanchez, who grew up in working-class Anaheim to become the first sisters to serve in Congress, say the book they are in negotiations to write will have resonance for Latinos and women throughout the United States.
"We want it to be inspirational, because our story is an inspiration," said Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove).
Sanchez, 43, who was first elected to the central Orange County district in 1996, said three-fourths of the book will explore the impact on the nation of the growing U.S. Latino population.
"I would like to provide a vision of what the Hispanic community is and what it needs; if we do it correctly, it will help all Americans," Loretta Sanchez said.
Much of the inspiration for the story lies in the chronicle of two daughters of immigrants who made it to the halls of power without the familial political service tradition of, say, the Kennedys or the Bushes, the Gores or the Rockefellers.
The key to their success is no mystery to Linda Sanchez (D-Lakewood), 34.
"Immigrants have more hope; they seek out opportunities more than people who have things," she said. "They believe anything can be possible. [My parents] were very forward-thinking. They saw the value of education."
Maria Macias and Ignacio Sanchez met on the floor of a Los Angeles rubber factory in the '50s. They decided early on that each of their seven children would go to college. The three girls and four boys became two congresswomen, two business owners, a mortgage broker, a securities broker and a civil engineer.
The Sanchez sisters' earliest lessons in politics were in making deals with five siblings over what to watch on the family television, or trading food so their strict parents would see that all finished their meals as required. They learned sacrifice as teenagers working at menial jobs, often donating their wages to help the family steer an older sibling through college.
In the 1960s, Macias persuaded her husband to move the family from El Monte to a 1,000-square-foot, one-bathroom house in Anaheim, which was then a small city surrounded by orange groves. The neighbors were professionals at Rockwell Corp., and Disneyland was no more than a seasonal attraction.
