Who do I ask for a reference after a layoff? after 17 years as a paralegal

My manager was laid off too and I am unsure who to use as a reference. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. A colleague offered to vouch for me. How do you ask politely?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.