Sharon Quirk-Silva (born September 17, 1962) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, representing the 65th Assembly District, which includes portions of northern

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, including

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

, Fullerton and

Buena Park Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 m ...

Early life and education

Quirk-Silva was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and raised in

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

. Quirk-Silva earned an Associates of Arts degree from

Fullerton College Fullerton College (FC) is a Public college, public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the ...

, a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and a teaching credential from

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

Personal life

She was married to Shawn Quirk from 1985 to 2006. Her current husband, Jesus Silva, is an educator who was elected Mayor of Fullerton in 2018. Quirk-Silva has four children.

Career

Prior to her service in the Assembly, she was the Mayor of Fullerton and an elementary school teacher. She was first elected to the Assembly in an upset, unseating

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Assemblyman Chris Norby by a narrow margin in 2012. Quirk-Silva sought a second term in 2014, but was defeated by Republican

Young Kim Young Oak Kim (; born October 18, 1962) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 39th congressional district. Her district includes northern parts of Orange County. In the 2020 United Sta ...

, a former legislative aide. She recaptured her old Assembly seat after defeating Kim in a 2016 rematch after a heated and expensive election."Assemblywoman Young Kim concedes in Orange County race against Sharon Quirk-Silva"
mercurynews.com, November 15, 2016; accessed November 18, 2016. In 2018, she won re-election over music teacher Alexandria Coronado. In 2020, she was reelected over realtor Cynthia Thacker.

Election history

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

District 67

References

External links

*
Campaign website

Join California Sharon Quirk-Silva
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Living people 1962 births 21st-century American politicians Women state legislators in California 21st-century American women politicians Politicians from Los Angeles People from Fullerton, California Mayors of places in California Women mayors of places in California University of California, Los Angeles alumni California State University, Fullerton alumni