Assembly District 1
CalChiro Recommendation:
Brian Dahle (R)
Republican Leader Brian Dahle, born in Redding, is a third-generation wheat farmer. Until his election to the Assembly in 2012, he served four terms on the Lassen County Board of Supervisors. Dahle's Lassen County farm was purchased by his grandparents in the 1940s and has remained in the family since then. When his parents retired, he and his wife, Megan, purchased the farm, which is now over 2,000 acres. They also operate and manage Big Valley Seed and Big Valley Nursery. Megan is a board member of the Big Valley Unified School District. They have three children.
Assembly District 2
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jim Wood (D)
Jim Wood was elected to the Assembly in 2014. Before leaving for the Assembly, he was elected to the Healdsburg City Council in 2006 and served as a former member of the city’s planning commission. A family dentist who has maintained a practice in Cloverdale since 1987, Wood is a nationally recognized expert in forensic dentistry and has worked with law enforcement to solve cold cases. He is also the co-founder of the Healdsburg Green City Committee. He and his wife have one son.
Assembly District 3
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jim Gallagher (R)
James Gallagher, at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014, was a member of the Sutter County Board of Supervisors where he was first elected in 2008. He is the sixth generation of an Irish immigrant family that settled in south Sutter County in the late 1880s. He is a partner in his family's farming business as well as a practicing attorney, focusing on agricultural law. He and his wife, Janna, reside in Yuba City with their three children.
Assembly District 4
CalChiro Recommendation:
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D)
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2016, was the Mayor of Winters. She previously served as the principal at Community Migration and Consulting, a firm specializing in planning and implementing strategic public outreach for government agencies, chaired the Yolo Housing Commission, and was Vice Chair of the Yolo County Water Association, and served as Director of Public Outreach for the Freeport Regional Water Authority.
Assembly District 5
CalChiro Recommendation:
Frank Bigelow (R)
Frank Bigelow, at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012, was serving as a Madera County Board of Supervisors. At the time of his Assembly election, he also was Vice President of the Ponderosa Telephone Company where he had been working since 1973. His family roots in the area go back to the late 1800s. The family is still involved in cattle ranching through Bigelow Farms. He is a volunteer firefighter who lives in O’Neals with his wife, Barbara, and their three children.
Assembly District 6
CalChiro Recommendation:
Kevin Kiley (R)
Kevin Kiley was a former deputy Attorney General at the CA Department of Justice before his election to the Assembly in 2016. He was raised in Granite Bay, and was the valedictorian of Granite Bay High School. After college, he became an English teacher at Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles and then attended law school, receiving his law degree from Yale.
Assembly District 7
CalChiro Recommendation:
Kevin McCarty (D)
Kevin McCarty was first elected to the Assembly in 2014. Before his Assembly election, he was elected to the Sacramento City Council in 2004 while he served as a legislative advocate for Early Edge California, formerly known as Preschool California. McCarty grew up in Sacramento, attended American River College, and received a bachelor's degree in political science from CSU Long Beach and a master's degree in public policy and administration from Sacramento State University. He and his wife, Leticia, have twin girls and reside in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Sacramento.
Assembly District 8
CalChiro Recommendation:
Ken Cooley (D)
Ken Cooley was a member of the Rancho Cordova City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He also served as the Principal Consultant to the state Senate Committee on Banking, Finance and Insurance. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley and a law degree from McGeorge School of Law. Cooley and his wife, Sydney, live in Rancho Cordova, as do their two grown sons.
Assembly District 9
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jim Cooper (D)
Jim Cooper was a member of the Elk Grove City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014.He was also a captain in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department where he served for 30 years. He grew up in Sacramento, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and West Point Leadership Academy and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from St. Mary’s College. He is a lifetime member of the CA Narcotics Officers Association.
Assembly District 10
CalChiro Recommendation:
Marc Levine (D)
Marc Levine was a member the San Rafael City Council and an executive with a healthcare information technology startup at the time of his Assembly election in 2012. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from CSU Northridge and earned a master's degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Levine and wife, Wendy, have two children.
Assembly District 11
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jim Frazier (D)
Jim Frazier was serving his first term on the Oakley City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He is the owner of a local general contracting company. He has also served on the Oakley Planning Commission and on the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s citizens advisory committee. He and his wife, Janet, founded the Stephanie Marie Frazier Memorial Foundation, named after one of their daughters who died in a car accident. The foundation delivers care packages to hospitalized children. They have another surviving daughter.
Assembly District 12
CalChiro Recommendation:
Heath Flora (R)
Heath Flora was Director of International Sales at the Exact Corporation, a family owned business that manufactures products for both nut harvesting and firefighting, at the time of his Assembly election in 2016. He is a trained paramedic and volunteer firefighter of over 15 years and served as a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry. Flora studied Fire Science at Modesto Community College and resides in Modesto.
Assembly District 13
CalChiro Recommendation:
Susan Eggman (D)
Susan Talamantes Eggman was serving her second four-year term on the Stockton City Council prior to her election to the Assembly in 2012. She joined the U.S. Army out of high school and served four years as a medic. After her service, she attended CSU Stanislaus, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in social work. She worked as a mental health provider and medical social worker before earning a Ph.D. at Portland State University. Eggman and her partner, Renee, live in Stockton's Victory Park neighborhood.
Assembly District 14
CalChiro Recommendation:
Tim Grayson (D)
Tim Grayson was a member of the Concord City Council when he was first elected to the Assembly in 2016. He served as the Redevelopment Agency Chair in 2011 and Vice Mayor in 2013. Grayson is a Critical Response Chaplain with the Concord Police Department and owner of Grayson Construction since 1999. He is a member of the Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. Grayson holds a bachelor’s degree from Christian Life College in Stockton and was the recipient of the Presidential Citizens Award in 2008 and 2009. Grayson and his wife, Tammy, have two children.
Assembly District 16
CalChiro Recommendation:
Catharine Baker (R)
Catharine Baker worked in Pleasanton as a business attorney at the time of her Assembly election in 2014. She is a California native and received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago while overcoming a cancer diagnosis and treatment her senior year. She attended UC Berkeley where she earned a law degree. Baker and her husband, Dan, are the parents of twins.
Assembly District 17
CalChiro Recommendation:
David Chiu (D)
David Chiu, the son of immigrants, was first elected to the Assembly in 2014. At the time of this Assembly election, he was a San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing a district that includes North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and the Financial District. Prior to his election to the Board, Chiu was a founder and Chief Operating Officer of Grassroots Enterprise, an online communications technology company. He also worked as a criminal prosecutor at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and as a civil rights attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Chiu and his wife, Candace, have one son.
Assembly District 18
CalChiro Recommendation:
Rob Bonta (D)
Rob Bonta, the first Filipino American elected to the California State Legislature, was a member of the Alameda City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He was also a deputy city attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, where he focused on fighting fraud and anti-consumer practices by large corporations. He received his bachelor’s degree and law degree from Yale. He and his wife, Mialisa, have three children.
Assembly District 19
CalChiro Recommendation:
Phil Ting (D)
Phil Ting was the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. Prior to this appointment, Ting served as the Executive Director of the Asian Law Caucus, an Asian-Pacific Islander civil rights organization. He has degrees from UC Berkeley and Harvard University, and lives in San Francisco’s Sunset District with his wife, Susan, and their two daughters.
Assembly District 20
CalChiro Recommendation:
Bill Quirk (D)
Bill Quirk was a member of the Hayward City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He also worked at the Lawrence Livermore Lab, where he became an expert in nuclear weapons. He earned his bachelor's degree and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at Columbia University. He and his wife, Laurel, have lived in Hayward since 1978 and have two children.
Assembly District 21
CalChiro Recommendation:
Adam Gray (D)
Adam Gray managed a public affairs and communications firm and serve as a course assistant/lecturer on the state legislature at UC Merced at the time of his Assembly election in 2012. He is a former congressional and California Senate staffer. Gray has strong roots in the agricultural community. His grandfather founded a dairy supply store in Merced, later owned by his father. He worked at the store while attending Merced Community College before transferring to UC Santa Barbara.
Assembly District 22
CalChiro Recommendation:
Kevin Mullin (D)
Kevin Mullin was president of a multimedia production and communication firm, KM2 Communication, when he was elected to the Assembly in 2012. He previously served as a member of South San Francisco City Council and was a former California Senate staffer. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco and a master's degree from San Francisco State University and attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the son of former Democratic Asm. Gene Mullin.
Assembly District 23
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jim Patterson (R)
Jim Patterson was elected to the Assembly in 2012. He is a 30-year small business owner and broadcast executive. He has owned and operated radio stations in California and Idaho and is presently the managing partner of radio station KGED in Fresno. He also served as the Mayor or Fresno City from 1993-2001. Patterson earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from CSU Fresno. Patterson and his wife, Sharon, have three children.
Assembly District 24
CalChiro Recommendation:
Marc Berman (D)
Marc Berman was a a first-term member of the Palo Alto City Council when he was elected to the Assembly in 2016. He is a lawyer by training who served as the development director at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, a nonprofit focused on STEM education and closing the achievement gap in public schools. Berman has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgetown University and a law degree from USC.
Assembly District 25
CalChiro Recommendation:
Kansen Chu (D)
Kansen Chu was a member of the San Jose City Council when he was elected to the Assembly in 2014. He previously served a member of the Berryessa Union School Board and an Assembly staffer. Chu immigrated from Taiwan at the age of 24 as a graduate student and went on to work as an engineer for IBM while also owning and operating a Chinese restaurant for 16 years. Chu and his wife, Daisy, have two children.
Assembly District 26
CalChiro Recommendation:
Devon Mathis (R)
Devin Mathis, a native of Porterville, was a elected to the Assembly in 2014. He served 12 years in the Army National Guard, including two combat tours in Iraq, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. After his military service he returned to Porterville and entered Porterville College, where he served as president of a campus veterans club. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in public administration from CSU Fresno. Mathis and his wife, Aubrey, live in Visalia with their three sons and twins.
Assembly District 27
CalChiro Recommendation:
Ash Kalra (D)
Ash Kalra was serving as a member of the San Jose City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. Kalra is a former Professor at Lincoln Law School of San Jose and CSU San Jose, and worked as an attorney for the County Public Defender’s Office for 11 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UC Santa Barbara and his law degree from Georgetown University.
Assembly District 28
CalChiro Recommendation:
Evan Low (D)
Evan Low was a member of the Campbell City Council and Assembly staffer at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. A lifelong resident of the Silicon Valley, Low attended local public schools and earned degrees from De Anza Community College and San Jose State University. He went on to graduate from the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Assembly District 29
CalChiro Recommendation:
Mark Stone (D)
Mark Stone was elected to the Assembly in 2012. He is an attorney by training and has served on the Scotts Valley School Board, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the California Coastal Commission. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from Santa Clara University.
Assembly District 30
CalChiro Recommendation:
Robert Rivas (D)
Robert Rivas is a candidate seeking to succeed termed out Assemblymember Anna Caballero. He currently serves as a member to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. He was born and raised in Pacines where his grandfather worked as a farmworker. He is a former Assembly staffer, Monterey County Board of Supervisors senior clerk, EMT and paid call firefighter for the City of Hollister. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from CSU Sacramento and earned a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University. Rivas lives in Hollister with his wife, Christen, and daughter.
Assembly District 31
CalChiro Recommendation:
Joaquin Arambula (D)
Joaquin Arambula was elected to the Assembly in April 2016 during a special election to fill the seat after former Assemblymember Perea resigned. Arambula is was an emergency room physician at Adventist Medical Center in Selma before he was elected to the Assembly. He was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley and is the son to a former Assemblymember. Arambula and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters.
Assembly District 32
CalChiro Recommendation:
Rudy Salas (D)
Rudy Salas was a member of the Bakersfield City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He is a former White House and Assembly staffer and CSU Bakersfield professor. Salas graduated from UCLA where he majored in history and political science.
Assembly District 33
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jay Obernolte (R)
Jay Obernolte was a member of the Big Bear Lake City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He is the founder and president of FarSight Studies, a family video game developing company he has owned for 15 years. He has a master’s degree in artificial intelligence from UCLA. Obernolte and his wife, Heather, have two sons.
Assembly District 34
CalChiro Recommendation:
Vince Fong (R)
Vince Fong was a congressional district staffer at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. He has been a member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club and served on the board of Goodwill Industries of South Central California and the Jim Burke Education Foundation. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government from UCLA and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton. Fong and his wife, Michelle, have two children.
Assembly District 35
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jordan Cunningham (R)
Jordan Cunningham was elected to the Assembly in 2016. He is an attorney and former deputy district attorney from San Luis Obispo. Born and raised on the Central Coast, Cunningham graduated from Atascadero High School and attended Point Loma Nazarene University where he received a bachelor’s degree in history. He later went on to obtain his law degree from UC Berkeley. Cunningham resides in Templeton with his wife, Shauna, and four children.
Assembly District 36
CalChiro Recommendation:
Tom Lackey (R)
Tom Lackey was a second term member of the Palmdale City Council and recently retired California HIghway Patrol sergeant at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. Lackey was born in Boron, a small desert town in Kern County, and graduated from Boron High School. He then went on to earn his bachelor's degree in special education from Utah State University and later became an elementary special education teacher. He and his wife, Theresa, have two adopted children.
Assembly District 37
CalChiro Recommendation:
Monique Limon (D)
Monique Limon was a member of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2016. She is the former Assistant Director for the McNair Scholars Program at UC Santa Barbara, which helps qualified undergraduates from underrepresented populations to prepare and apply for PhD programs and previously served as the Student Program Advisor for California Student Opportunity and Access Program at Santa Barbara City College. She holds a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. Limon and her husband, Michael, reside in Santa Barbara.
Assembly District 38
CalChiro Recommendation:
Dante Acosta (R)
Dante Acosta was a member of the Santa Clarita City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. A financial services professional serving the Los Angeles Area. He began his career in the auto industry in high school, serving as an assistant manager of an auto parts store. While attending CSU Northridge he worked as a car salesperson and rose to the position General Sales Manager. He and his wife, Carolyn, have been Santa Clarita residents for over 28 years. Acosta is a Gold Star father, having lost one of his three children in Afghanistan.
Assembly District 39
CalChiro Recommendation:
Luz Rivas (D)
Luz Rivas was recently elected to Assembly in June 2018. She was served as the Public Works Commissioner for Los Angeles and is the founder of DIY Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing girls’ interest success in science and technology. Born in Los Angeles, she grew up in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and graduated from San Fernando High School. After earning her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineer from MIT, she went to work as an electrical engineer for Motorola and later went back to school to earn her master’s degree in technology in education from Harvard.
Assembly District 41
CalChiro Recommendation:
Chris Holden (D)
Chris Holden was a member of the Pasadena City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He served as a council member for 21 years and before that also served as a commissioner on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. He still currently owns CHMB Consulting, a real estate firm. He attended San Diego State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in business. Holden and his wife, Melanie, have four children.
Assembly District 42
CalChiro Recommendation:
Chad Mayes (R)
Chad Mayes was elected to the Assembly in 2014. He a former mayor and member of the Yucca Valley Town Council. A financial advisor by trade, Mayes put his practice on hold after being appointed as chief of staff to San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford. He graduated from Liberty University, a Christian college located in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Assembly District 43
CalChiro Recommendation:
Laura Friedman (D)
Laura Friedman was a member of the Glendale City Council at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2016. Raised in South Florida, she received her bachelor's degree in philosophy and film from the University of Rochester. She moved to Los Angeles to work at Paramount Pictures and began a 15 year career as an independent producer and entertainment executive, serving as VP of Development for Rysher Entertainment, and later for the Cort/Madden Company. For the past ten years, she has been the sole proprietor of her own business, dealing in vintage jewelry, fine and decorative arts. Friedman and her husband, Guillaume, have one daughter.
Assembly District 44
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jacqui Irwin (D)
Jacqui Irwin was a member of the Thousand Oaks City Council at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2014. She was a systems engineer with Teledyne Systems Company. She received her bachelor's degree in systems engineering from UC San Diego. Irwin lives in Thousand Oaks with her husband, Jon, and three kids.
Assembly District 45
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jesse Gabriel (D)
Jesse Gabriel was recently elected to the Assembly in June 2018. Raised in Ventura County's Oak Park, he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from UC Berkeley and a law degree from Harvard. He most recently worked as a business litigation and public policy attorney in Los Angeles. Rivas also served on the boards of the LA League of Conservation Voters, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, and the LA County Commission on Local Government Services. Gabriel resides in Encino with his wife, Rachel, and their two sons.
Assembly District 46
CalChiro Recommendation:
Adrin Nazarian (D)
Adrin Nazarin was elected to the Assembly in 2012. He was born in Iran and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, attending local Valley schools before receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA. He is a former Assembly and congressional staffer and former special assistant with the California Trade and Commerce Agency. Nazarian and his wife, Diana, live in Sherman Oaks and have two sons.
Assembly District 47
CalChiro Recommendation:
Eloise Reyes (D)
Eloise Reyes was the principal of a law firm in Colton at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2016. Born and raised in Colton to a family of immigrants, she started her career representing injured workers and unions in workers compensation matters. She then moved back to Colton and became one of the first Latinas to open and manage her own law office in the Inland Empire. She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration from USC and a law degree from Loyola. Reys and her husband, Frank, have one son.
Assembly District 48
CalChiro Recommendation:
Blanca Rubio (D)
Blanca Rubio was a member of the Baldwin Park Unified School District Board of Education and teacher in the Fontana School District at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2016. She is a former member of the Valley County Water District. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Azusa Pacific University.
Assembly District 49
CalChiro Recommendation:
Ed Chau (D)
Ed Chau was a member of the Montebello Unified School District Board of Education and attorney at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He practiced in areas of commercial transactions, real estate, immigration, personal injury and landlord/tenant law. Prior to becoming an attorney, Chau was an engineer/programmer for IBM and Unisys Corp. for about 12 years and an adjunct visiting professor with the Hunan Normal College in China. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and sociology from USC and a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law. Chu and his wife, Candice, have one daughter.
Assembly District 50
CalChiro Recommendation:
Richard Bloom (D)
Richard Bloom was serving as the Mayor of Santa Monica at the time he was elected to the Assembly in 2012. He is a family law attorney, chaired the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Committee and the Westside Cities Council of Government, and served on the California Coastal Commission. Born in Philadelphia, Bloom grew up in Altadena and West Los Angeles. He received a bachelor’s degree in communication and public policy from UC Berkeley and received his law degree from Loyola. Bloom and his wife, Robbie, have two children.
Assembly District 51
CalChiro Recommendation:
Wendy Carrillo (D)
Wendy Carrillo was elected to the Assembly in December 2017 in a special election to fill the seat vacated by now Congressman Jimmy Gomez. She was a journalist, activist, radio host, and anchor/producer for First Look Media. She was born in El Salvador, raised in City Terrace, attended Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles College before receiving her bachelor’s degree in rhetorical communication from CSU Los Angeles and her master’s degree in specialized journalism from USC.
Assembly District 52
CalChiro Recommendation:
Freddie Rodriguez (D)
Freddie Rodriguez as a member of the Pomona City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He also served as an emergency medical technician in the San Gabriel Valley for over 25 years. Rodriguez and his wife, Michelle, have three children.
Assembly District 53
CalChiro Recommendation:
Miguel Santiago (D)
Miguel Santiago was a Los Angeles Community College trustee and district director to former Speaker of the Assembly, John Perez. Santiago attended local public schools and community college, then transferred to UCLA, where he majored in history and graduated magna cum laude. Santiago and his wife, Celina, and have two kids.
Assembly District 54
CalChiro Recommendation:
Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)
Sydney Kamlager-Dove was elected to the Assembly in June 2018. She was the LA Community College District Board of Trustees President and district director for Senator Holly Mitchell. Prior to that, she was a Public Affairs Division Manager for Crystal Stairs Inc, a Legislative Director for Employers Group, and Director of Development for Cieluna Company. She attended Compton College, and holds a bachelor's degree in political science from USC and a master’s degree in public policy and arts management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Assembly District 55
CalChiro Recommendation:
Phillip Chen (R)
Phillip Chen was a member of the Walnut Valley Unified School District at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. He previously served as a health deputy for Los Angeles County, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, and as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Reserve Deputy. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications from CSU Fullerton, a master’s degree in public administration and an Ed.D in educational psychology from USC.
Assembly District 56
CalChiro Recommendation:
Eduardo Garcia (D)
Eduardo Garcia was a member of the Coachella City Council when he was elected to the Assembly in 2014. Garcia received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Riverside a master’s degree in planning in developing from USC. Garcia and his wife have a daughter.
Assembly District 57
CalChiro Recommendation:
Ian Calderon (D)
Ian Calderon was elected to the Assembly in 2012. Prior to his election, he was an Assembly staffer, managed a retail clothing company’s marketing department, and formed his own company representing athletes in contract negotiations and sponsorship relationships. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from CSU Long Beach.
Assembly District 58
CalChiro Recommendation:
Cristina Garcia (D)
Cristina Garcia was a college professor at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2012. She has taught statistics at USC, mathematics at Los Angeles City College and has taught middle school and high school students through the Jaime Escalante Program at East Los Angeles Community College and Huntington Park High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Pomona College, a master's degree from Claremont Graduate University and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from USC.
Assembly District 59
CalChiro Recommendation:
Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D)
Reggie Jones-Sawyer was director of asset management for the City of Los Angeles at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He received his bachelor’s degree in public administration from USC and completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Assembly District 60
CalChiro Recommendation:
Sabrina Cervantes (D)
Sabrina Cervantes was the district director for Assemblymember Jose Medina when she was elected to the Assembly in 2016. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from UC Riverside and attended Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Program. Cervantes is the youngest legislator serving in the Assembly.
Assembly District 61
CalChiro Recommendation:
Jose Medina (D)
Jose Medina was a member of the Riverside Community College Board of Trustees at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He earned his bachelor's degree in latin american studies and master's degree in history from UC Riverside. He began his teaching career in 1975, teaching for nearly three decades in the Riverside Unified School District. Medina lives in Riverside with his wife, Linda.
Assembly District 62
CalChiro Recommendation:
Autumn Burke (D)
Autumn Burke was elected to the Assembly in 2012. She has a background in finance, real estate development, renewable energy, and non-profit advocacy. She worked to establish a pilot program for the first entirely LED-lit park and coordinated major financing projects, including building an orphanage in Ghana. Burke is the daughter of former Congresswoman and Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke. Bruke resides in Marina del Rey with her daughter.
Assembly District 63
CalChiro Recommendation:
Anthony Rendon (D)
Speaker Anthony Rendon was the executive director of Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. Prior to his election he also taught as an adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at CSU Fullerton and served as an interim executive director of the CA League of Conservation Voters. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CSU Fullerton, his Ph.D. from UC Riverside, and did postdoctoral work at Boston College. Rendon and his wife, Annie, reside in Lakewood.
Assembly District 64
CalChiro Recommendation:
Mike Gipson (D)
Mike Gipson was a member of the Carson City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He is a former Maywood police office, labor organizer, and policy aide. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. Gipson and his wife, LeCresha, have two sons.
Assembly District 65
CalChiro Recommendation:
Sharon Quirk-Silva (D)
Sharon Quirk-Silva was a member of the Fullerton City Council at the time of election to the Assembly in 2012. Born in Los Angeles and a Fullerton resident since the age of two, after graduating from Fullerton High School, she earned an AA degree from Fullerton College, then transferred to UCLA where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She earned a California Teacher Credential from CSU Fullerton and was a teacher with the Fullerton School District for 24 years. Quirk-Silva and her husband, Jesus, havefour children.
Assembly District 66
CalChiro Recommendation:
Al Muratsuchi (D)
Al Muratsuchi was a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He also served on the Torrance Unified School District Board of Education, chaired the Torrance Planning Commission, and was a member of the Torrance Environmental Quality and Energy Conservation Commission. Muratsuchi received his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from UCLA. Muratushi and his wife, Hiroko, have one daughter.
Assembly District 67
CalChiro Recommendation:
Melissa Melendez (R)
Melissa Melendez was a member of the Lake Elsinore City Council at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2012. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Melendez entered the U.S. Navy upon graduation from high school. She went on to become a Russian translator and attended attended college full time in the evening, while still in the Navy, and received her bachelor’s degree in history and political studies from Chaminade University in Honolulu and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Melendez and her husband, Nico, have five children.
Assembly District 68
CalChiro Recommendation:
Steven Choi (R)
Steven Choi was the Mayor of Irvine at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. He previously served as a trustee of the Irvine Unified School District. Born in South Korea, he received his bachelor's degree from Kyung Hee University in Seoul then immigrated to the United States in as a Peace Corps language instructor for the State Department. Choi and his wife, Janie , have two children.
Assembly District 69
CalChiro Recommendation:
Tom Daly (D)
Tom Daly was the Orange County Clerk Recorder at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He formerly served as major of Anaheim and on the Anaheim Union High School Board. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. Daly and his wife, Debbie, have three children.
Assembly District 70
CalChiro Recommendation:
Patrick O’Donnell (D)
Patrick O’Donnell was a high school history teacher at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He had also served as a member of the Long Beach City Council. Born in Long Beach, he is a graduate of CSU Long Beach where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in public administration. O’Donnell and his wife, Jennifer, reside in the Los Altos area of Long Beach.
Assembly District 71
CalChiro Recommendation:
Randy Voepel (R)
Randy Voepel was Mayor of Santee at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. Voepel is a United States Navy veteran with two combat tours in Vietnam. A graduate of Saint Leo University, he is a businessman in financial services specializing in corporate benefits. Vopel and his wife, Susan, have two children.
Assembly District 73
CalChiro Recommendation:
Bill Brough (R)
Bill Brough was a member of the Dana Point City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He is a former Assembly and congressional staffer and Army veteran. Following his Army service, Brough attended the University of Connecticut where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science. Brough and his wife, Michelle, have two children.
Assembly District 74
CalChiro Recommendation:
Matthew Harper (R)
Matthew Harper was a member of the Huntington Beach City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2014. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Transportation Authority and served on the Huntington Beach Unified School District Board. He earned his degree in public policy and management from USC. Harper and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Huntington Beach.
Assembly District 75
CalChiro Recommendation:
Marie Waldron (R)
Marie Waldron was a member of the Escondido City Council at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2012. She a founding member of the California Women’s Leadership Association and owns Top End Tees Screen Printing and Apparel for the past 20 years. Waldron and her husband, Steve, have one son.
Assembly District 77
CalChiro Recommendation:
Brian Maienschein (R)
Brian Maienschein was the Commissioner of the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness with United Way of San Diego at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2012. He is an attorney, served on the San Diego City Council, and taught courses on election law at both the University of San Diego and California Western School of Law. Maienschein received his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and his law degree from California Western School of Law. He has two daughters.
Assembly District 78
CalChiro Recommendation:
Todd Gloria (D)
Todd Gloria was a member of the San Diego City Council at the time of his election to the Assembly in 2016. He is a former congressional staffer, employee of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, member of the Board of Directors for the San Diego LGBT Community Center and is a currently enrolled member of the Tlingit-Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Gloria resides in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego.
Assembly District 79
CalChiro Recommendation:
Shirley Weber (D)
Shirley Weber was the Chair of the Citizens’ Equal Opportunity Commission at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2012. Born in Hope, Arkansas to sharecroppers, she received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in Speech Communications from UCLA. At the age of 23, she became a professor at San Diego State University, where she helped develop the Department of African Studies. She is the mother of two children.
Assembly District 80
CalChiro Recommendation:
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D)
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher was the Chief Executive Office and Secretary-Treasurer for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council at the time of her election to the Assembly in 2012. She attended public schools in San Diego County, earned her bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a master's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from UCLA. Gonzalez Fletcher and her husband, Nathan, reside in the Sherman Heights neighborhood with their four children.