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WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin, a Southern Californian whose name adorns America's currency, announced her resignation today amid widespread speculation that her name will appear next on California's 2004 election ballot.
Marin, whose family came from Mexico when she was a frightened 14-year-old, is the first immigrant to have her signature imprinted on America's currency. Now 44, Marin may seek to make more history as California's first Latino senator.
As the highest-ranking Latina in the Bush administration, some Republicans have been touting Marin as a potential challenger next year to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Marin has been publicly noncommittal and declined an interview request Thursday. She said in her resignation letter only that she and her family decided to return to California.
It's been a remarkable rise for Marin, who attended college at night while she worked days at City National Bank in Beverly Hills. As a young assistant receptionist, she said in an interview last week that she learned a valuable lesson she took with her to Washington.
``I learned from there that everything that leaves my desk has my signature and needs to be excellent,'' Marin recalled in an interview last week. ``Now the dollars have my signature.''