The End Poverty Caucus

Isaac Bryan

Majority Leader and EPC Chair Isaac Bryan represents California’s 55th Assembly District. He is Chair of the Assembly’s Elections Committee and the Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion, Treasurer of the California Legislative Black Caucus, and Vice Chair and a founding member of the Renters Caucus. He authored key legislation to end prison gerrymandering, support foster youth, remove financial barriers to family reunification, expand economic opportunity, protect communities from oil drilling, and expand access to affordable housing. In 2022, he secured funding to expand The Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, the first of its kind at UCLA, as well as funds to establish UCLA School of Law’s Center on Reproductive Health, Law, & Policy and a statewide program creating educational stipends for previously incarcerated students.

Ash Kalra

Assemblymember Ash Kalra represents California’s 25th Assembly District, which encompasses the majority of San José, including downtown and open space areas in southeast Santa Clara County. He was first elected in 2016, becoming the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history, and was re-elected to his fourth term in 2022. Assemblymember Kalra is the Chair of the Committee on Labor and Employment and also serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Judiciary, Transportation, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife committees.

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan represents California’s 16th Assembly District, which consists of several suburban communities in the East Bay. An accomplished attorney, environmental advocate, law professor, and mother, she draws inspiration from her grandparents’ experiences as refugees, who came to the United States to escape the Holocaust. As a member of the Assembly, she has focused extensively on safeguarding reproductive rights and protecting the environment. She chairs both the Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife and the Select Committee on Reproductive Health, the latter of which she founded. Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan has championed multiple bills to make California a safe place to live and a bastion for equal rights, including AB 624, AB 988, and AB 1666.

Matt Haney

Assemblymember and Assistant Majority Whip Matt Haney represents California’s 17th Assembly District, which encompasses the eastern side of San Francisco. Prior to joining the State Assembly in 2022, he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where he championed initiatives like universal mental health care, 24-hour bathrooms, bike lanes, tenant protections, and investments in affordable housing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he authored legislation to house over 2,000 homeless individuals in hotels, working on the frontlines at a COVID shelter during staff shortages. He initiated relief programs for restaurants and music venues, led efforts to open mass-vaccination sites, and secured worker protections. His previous work includes serving on the San Francisco Board of Education, defending families from eviction as an attorney, co-founding #cut50 to address mass incarceration, and advocating for students’ rights as Executive Director of the UC Student Association.

Buffy Wicks

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks represents California’s 14th Assembly District, which encompasses the East Bay. First elected to the State Assembly in 2018, she currently serves as the Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee, where she advances the solutions needed to solve California’s housing and homelessness crisis. In this capacity, she aims to increase the supply of housing in California, create additional funding for affordable housing, and alleviate the burden of the housing crisis on women and people of color. In her first year as Housing Chair, she authored AB 2011, a bill that will accelerate housing production while ensuring a well-paid workforce is available to construct that housing. Assemblymember Hicks’ legislative work also focuses extensively on strengthening the social safety net, advocating for women and working families, protecting consumers, and reducing gun violence.

Mia Bonta

Assemblymember Mia Bonta represents California’s 18th Assembly District, which encompasses large parts of the East Bay, including a significant portion of the City of Oakland, as well as the cities of Emeryville and Alameda. First elected in a special election in 2021, she currently serves as Chair of the Select Committee on Place Based Systems of Coordinated Care for Children and Families, where she advances policies to make California more inclusive and equitable. Prior to joining the State Assembly, Assemblymember Bonta spent her career advocating for students and working families. She has worked for and led several nonprofit organizations, including serving as the CEO of Oakland Promise, a cradle-to-college and career preparation initiative across Oakland public schools. She also served as the Board President of the Alameda Unified School District School Board from 2018 to 2021.

Luz M. Rivas

Assemblymember Luz M. Rivas represents California’s 43rd Assembly District, which encompasses the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley. First elected in 2018, she currently chairs the Committee on Natural Resources and the Select Committee on the Non-Profit Sector. During her time in the Assembly, Assemblymember Rivas has advanced policies to reform the state’s response to homelessness, provide universal school meals to all K-12 students, and create the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Prior to joining the State Assembly, she worked as an electrical engineer at Motorola before founding DIY Girls, a nonprofit that provides enrichment programs focused on encouraging young girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology.

Nancy Skinner

State Senator Nancy Skinner represents California’s 9th Senate District, which encompasses several cities throughout the East Bay. She was first elected to the State Senate in 2016 after completing three terms in the State Assembly. Senator Skinner currently serves as Chair of the Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. During her time in the Senate, she’s authored several pieces of legislation, including SB 206, the Fair Pay to Play Act, making California the first state to give college athletes the right to earn money from their name, image, and likeness; SB 1421, opening up police misconduct records for the first time in 40 years; and SB 1437, overhauling California’s unjust felony murder rule.

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas

State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas represents California’s 28th Senate District, which consists of a variety of communities throughout Los Angeles County, including Crenshaw, University Park, and Mar Vista. First elected in 2022, she serves on several committees, such as Senate Rules Committee and the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. Prior to joining the State Senate, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas co-founded the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, where she worked to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and improve industries that employ Black workers. In addition, she served as a Project Director at the UCLA Labor Center and directed the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity at Work project.

Scott Wiener

State Senator Scott Wiener represents California’s 11th Senate District, which consists of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. Elected in 2016, Senator Wiener focuses extensively on housing, transportation, civil rights, criminal justice reform, clean energy, and alleviating poverty. He chairs the Senate Housing Committee and is Co-Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. He is a past Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. Before his election to the Senate, Senator Wiener served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the district previously represented by Harvey Milk. He also chaired the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. Before taking public office, Senator Wiener practiced law for fifteen years, including nearly a decade as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. He also served in a number of community leadership roles, including co-chair of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and on the national Board of Directors of the Human Rights Campaign.

Dave Cortese

State Senator Dave Cortese represents California’s 15th Senate District, encompassing much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. First elected to the Senate in 2020, he currently serves as Chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committee. In addition to his distinguished career as an attorney and business owner, he previously served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the San Jose City Council, and as a trustee for the East Side Union High School District. During his nearly three decades in public service, Senator Cortese has focused extensively on addressing homelessness, combating climate change, expanding public transit options, reforming Santa Clara County’s jail custody operations, and fighting for the rights of immigrants.