Bonnie Lowenthal is among the most experienced and seasoned members of the Legislature. During her two terms in the Assembly she helped deliver 18,000 good-paying jobs and protected the employment rights of thousands of workers, while standing up for children, seniors and the environment.
She brought to Sacramento decades of public service and a lifetime of experience. She served two terms on the Long Beach Unified School Board, where she fought for full inclusion, and helped Long Beach earn a national reputation as one of the country’s best urban school districts. She also served two terms on the City Council, where she made sure that the residents of her working-class district were as well represented at City Hall as residents of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
Bonnie Lowenthal is chair of the powerful Assembly Transportation Committee, an assignment that allowed her to build on her previous experience on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority. She knows where the rubber meets the road.
Bonnie Lowenthal brings her experience as a licensed mental health professional to her work on the Assembly Health Committee, where she has been a dependable advocate for patients and their caregivers alike.
Bonnie is a mother and a grandmother. She was born in New York state, the child of immigrants who came to this country to escape religious persecution. She wants all immigrants to find the opportunity her parents found.
She is a leading advocate of open government and institutional reform. She enjoys the support of working people, labor unions, environmentalists, childcare advocates and good-government groups.
She has authored laws that: protect coastal waters from invasive species; make it easier for older adults to stay in their homes; encourage state workers to blow the whistle on wrongdoing; and make it easier for school district to give kids a safe ride to school. She also has written laws that bring additional federal funds to foster youth; protect injured workers from unjust medical bills; and bring down the cost of prison healthcare by millions of dollars a year.
She has been named Legislator of the Year by the California Assisted Living Association, by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and by the California Chiropractic Association. Her efforts on behalf of women and children have brought similar accolades.
Her district includes the largest port complex in the nation, one of the most diverse populations in the state, and the only inhabited island in California, Catalina.
Bonnie Lowenthal is vice chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus. She chairs the Assembly Committee on Transportation; the Joint Committee on Emergency Management; and the Select Committee on Ports. She serves as a member of the committees on Accountability and Administrative Review; Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials; and Health. She also is a member of select committees on California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs; Foster Care; and Wine; as well as the joint committees on Fisheries & Aquaculture.
