Rob Bonta
| Rob Bonta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 18th district | |
|
Assumed office December 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Sandré Swanson (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 22, 1972 Quezon City, Philippines |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mialisa |
| Residence | Alameda, California |
| Alma mater | Yale University (B.A, J.D) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Robert Andres "Rob" Bonta is an American politician serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 18th Assembly District, encompasses the central East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he was an Alameda City Councilmember. He is the current Chair of the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Bonta was the first Filipino-American ever elected to the California Legislature.[1]
Education
Bonta is an alumnus of Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, CA, Yale College, Oxford University and Yale Law School.[2]
2014 California State Assembly
| California's 18th State Assembly district election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary election | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | 44,321 | 85.8 | |
| Republican | David Erlich | 7,358 | 14.2 | |
| Total votes | 51,679 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | 88,243 | 86.7 | |
| Republican | David Erlich | 13,537 | 13.3 | |
| Total votes | 101,780 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016 California State Assembly
| California's 18th State Assembly district election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary election | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | 98,202 | 89.1 | |
| Republican | Roseann Slonsky-Breault | 12,057 | 10.9 | |
| Total votes | 110,259 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | 156,163 | 87.0 | |
| Republican | Roseann Slonsky-Breault | 23,273 | 13.0 | |
| Total votes | 179,436 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Legislative history
In 2013, Bonta introduced legislation that would require California public schools to teach students the contributions of Filipino Americans in the farm labor movement; it was signed into law in October of that same year by Jerry Brown.[3] Bonta's mother, Cynthia Bonta, helped organize Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers for the United Farm Workers.[1]
In 2017, Bonta introduced legislation that would protect government employees in California from being fired for being members of the Communist Party.[4] The proposal, AB22, would repeal an almost 70-year ban on Communist Party members holding government jobs in California.[4] Bonta's fellow assemblyman Travis Allen blasted the proposal, calling it "blatantly offensive to all Californians."[4] The bill was withdrawn after protests by veterans and by the Vietnamese community.
In 2018, Bonta and State Senator Robert Hertzberg co-authored to Senate Bill 10 that made California the first state in the nation to eliminate money bail for suspects awaiting trial and replace it with a risk-assessment system.[5] On August 28, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed the sweeping reform bill into law.[6]
Alameda City Council
Bonta was elected to Alameda City Council in November, 2010. Within a year, he declared his intent to run for state assembly. In 2012, some Alameda residents started a recall campaign against him.[7] The recall campaign ended when Bonta resigned his city council seat to serve in the assembly.
References
- 1 2 Rene Ciria-Cruz (3 April 2013). "Bill to teach Filipinos' role in labor movement advances in California". Philippine Inquirer. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ↑ https://a18.asmdc.org/biography
- ↑ Pimentel, Joseph (9 October 2013). "California writing Filipino Americans into the history books". Public Radio International. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 Bollag, Sophia (8 May 2017). "California may end ban on communists in government jobs". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ↑ "California Assembly OKs bill to eliminate bail for suspects". The Mercury News. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- ↑ Koseff, Alexei (2018-08-28). "Jerry Brown signs bill eliminating money bail in California". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- ↑ Rene Ciria-Cruz (10 August 2012). "Abel Guillen Files Complaint With FPPC Alleging Rob Bonta Violated Financial Disclosure Laws". East Bay Express. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
