Buffy Jo Christina Wicks (born August 10, 1977) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
who serves in the
California State Assembly. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, she represents the
15th Assembly District, which includes the cities of
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
* George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer ...
,
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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,
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
,
San Pablo, and
El Cerrito in the
East Bay
The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties ...
. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, she was an American political strategist who is credited as one of the architects of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Barack Obama's grassroots organizing model. She also served on the senior staff of Obama's
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
presidential campaigns, and as Deputy Director at the
White House Office of Public Engagement
The White House Office of Public Engagement is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, it was called the White House Office of Public ...
.
Wicks was first elected to the State Assembly in November 2018 after beating
Richmond City Councilmember Jovanka Beckles
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a left-wing multi-tendency socialist and labor-oriented political organization. Its roots are in the Socialist Party of America (SPA), whose leaders included Eugene V. Debs, Norman Thomas and Mich ...
, a fellow Democrat.
Background
Born in
Foresthill, California
Foresthill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,483 at the 2010 census, down from 1,791 ...
in 1977, Wicks graduated from
Placer High School
Placer High School is a public high school located in Auburn, California, United States, and is part of the Placer Union High School District. Auburn is located northeast of Sacramento, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mounta ...
in 1995. She graduated from the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
in 1999 with a B.A. degree in political science and history.
In 2000, she began a two-year program for an International Master in Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies (PEACE Master) of the
Universitat Jaume I
Jaume I University ( es, Universidad Jaime I, ca-valencia, Universitat Jaume I, UJI; ) is a university in the city of Castelló de la Plana, Valencian Community, Spain. It was founded in 1991, and it has approximately 14,000 students. The camp ...
(UJI),
Castellón, Spain, under the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Chair of Philosophy for Peace, but left in 2001 and did not complete the degree.
Career
Wicks has worked in the labor movement, on women's issues, and as a children's rights advocate.
Wicks's started her political career in the early 2000s in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
by organizing rallies against the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
. She then worked on the unsuccessful
2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean.
As one of the early hires on the 2008 presidential campaign for
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, Wicks was active in grassroots mobilization and outcome-based organizing. She ran various state operations during the primaries and general election, including in California, Texas and Missouri.
Wicks was then tapped by President Obama to serve in the Executive Office of the President as the Deputy Director of the
White House Office of Public Engagement
The White House Office of Public Engagement is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, it was called the White House Office of Public ...
.
From 2010 to 2011, Wicks "served as Rahm Emanuel’s campaign manager in early months of campaign and developed core strategy and positioning in race as well as early infrastructure."
In 2012, she joined President Obama's re-election effort and served as the National Director of Operation Vote. She was responsible for mobilizing voters in demographic groups including African American, Latino, women, and the youth.
From 2014 to 2015, Wicks transitioned the super PAC
Priorities USA Action
Priorities USA Action is a progressive political action committee and is the largest Democratic Party super PAC. Founded in 2011, it supported Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. It was the primary super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton' ...
into a pro-
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
vehicle and served as its executive director. In 2016, Wicks was named the California State director by Clinton's presidential campaign in advance of the June 7 primary.
Wicks previously worked as the political director of "
Wake Up Wal-Mart
Wake Up Wal-Mart was a campaign founded by United Food and Commercial Workers Union. It is based in Washington, D.C. and is often critical of the business practices of Walmart, the world's largest retailer, and the largest private employer in th ...
", a
United Food and Commercial Worker-funded movement. She was a fellow at Institute of Politics and Public Policy at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
and a senior fellow at the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president and chief executive offic ...
focusing on public policies affecting women and families.
Wicks has published opinion editorials for ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'', ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'', and the ''
Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' on current political events. She also gives regular speeches in the United States and abroad on organizing, leadership, women's issues, and the state of American politics.
California State Assembly race
In 2017, Wicks declared herself a candidate for the
2018 California State Assembly election
The 2018 California State Assembly election was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary election being held on June 5, 2018. Voters in the California State Assembly districts, 80 districts of the California State Assembly elected the ...
, running for the
15th district. The seat was vacated by
Tony Thurmond
Tony Krajewski Thurmond (born August 21, 1968) is an American politician and educator who is the 28th and current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Thurmond was narrowly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2018 o ...
, who ran for
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
The state superintendent of public instruction (SPI) of California is the nonpartisan (originally partisan) elected executive officer of the California Department of Education. The SPI directs all functions of the Department of Education, execu ...
. Wicks's opponents in the race included
Oakland City Councilman
Dan Kalb and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
City Councilwoman
Jovanka Beckles
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a left-wing multi-tendency socialist and labor-oriented political organization. Its roots are in the Socialist Party of America (SPA), whose leaders included Eugene V. Debs, Norman Thomas and Mich ...
. In the primary held on June 5, Wicks finished first with 31.4% of the vote. In the general election on November 6, Wicks won with 54% of the vote to Beckles's 46%.
First State Assembly term
On August 31, 2020 (the final day of the legislative session), Wicks, having been previously denied the right to
vote by proxy, appeared on the floor of the State Assembly holding her crying newborn baby while speaking in favor of passing housing legislation. This incident earned Wicks international attention, sparking a discussion in the media on how she might use her newfound reputation to advocate for expanding family leave protections in the United States.
Meena Harris
Meenakshi Ashley Harris (born October 20, 1984) is an American lawyer, children's book author, producer, and founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, which creates statement fashion to support charity. In June 2020, Harris released her fi ...
,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, and others took to social media to congratulate and encourage Wicks.
Second State Assembly term
In her second term, Wicks served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development. On April 22, 2022, a convoy of anti-abortion truckers attempted to demonstrate in front of her house, but were driven away by egg-wielding children. Wicks was the author for several pieces of housing legislation including AB 2011.
Controversies
Wicks sponsored an bill that would require all workers in California to be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccines. The Bill was "postponed" after the bill faced stiff opposition from labor unions as the Omicron variant crested in the heavily vaccinated state.
Anti-abortion commentators generated controversy when Wicks introduced AB 2223, a bill intended to protect women from criminal prosecutions for experiencing a miscarriage or inducing an abortion. Under the current law at the time, stillbirths after 20 weeks are considered "unattended deaths" and a coroner is required to investigate. AB 2223 would have reclassified stillbirths such that they are no longer investigated as a matter of course, although it does not explicitly prevent stillbirths from being investigated. While the bill 'still allows authorities “to be able to investigate the facts of a newborn child’s death, including whether the child was born living and when and how the child died,”'
it was widely and falsely characterized by
anti-abortion commentators as legalizing infanticide.
2018 California State Assembly election
2020 California State Assembly election
See also
*
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
The 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama began on February 10, 2007, when Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a ...
*
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012
The 2012 presidential campaign of Barack Obama began on April 4, 2011, when Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, announced his candidacy for re-election as president On September 5, 2012, he again became the nominee of the ...
*
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
References
External links
*
Buffy Wicks on TwitterWhite House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental AffairsBuffy Wicks on why Obama will win
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Buffy
1977 births
Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign
Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign
Living people
Obama administration personnel
Placer High School alumni
University of Washington alumni
Walmart
American political consultants
Women state legislators in California
United Food and Commercial Workers people
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians