Marqueece Harris-Dawson (born November 7, 1970) is an American
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 currently represents
the 8th district of the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
since 2015.
Early life and education
Harris-Dawson was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles.
[Council District 8: Harris-Dawson biography]
/ref> Councilmember Harris-Dawson grew up in South Los Angeles during the crack cocaine epidemic. His family moved from their neighborhood to protect their children from police and gang violence.[
Harris-Dawson graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Mathematics. Harris-Dawson holds a certificate in non-profit management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is an Aspen Institute Pahara Fellow.][
]
Career
Harris-Dawson's first campaign as a community organizer was to change the conditions of schools in South Los Angeles and to infuse equity in the distribution of education funding.[ As a result of the campaign, South Los Angeles schools received an investment of $153 million for repair and modernization.][ He served as its President and CEO from 2004 to 2014.][ In 1995, he joined Community Coalition under founder ]Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S ...
. Harris-Dawson was the coordinator for the 1999 re-election campaign of Mark Ridley-Thomas in District 2 of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
History
On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their firs ...
.[
]
Los Angeles City Council (2015—)
Elections
In the primary election for District 8 in 2015, Harris-Dawson received over 62% of the vote for the vacant seat. Because Harris-Dawson won outright, a general election for District 8 was not needed. Term limits forced Bernard C. Parks, Harris-Dawson's predecessor since 2004, out of office.
Proposition HHH
In 2016, Councilmember Harris-Dawson co-authored Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure to build permanent supportive housing for homeless people and people at risk of becoming homeless. The measure appeared on the November 2016 municipal ballot and passed, with voters approving the measure 77% to 23%.
References
External links
Official Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson—Los Angeles City Council District 8 website
City of Los Angeles: Map of District 8
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris-Dawson, Marqueece
Los Angeles City Council members
African-American people in California politics
California Democrats
1970 births
Living people
People from South Los Angeles
21st-century American politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people