Hannah-Beth Jackson (born May 19, 1950) 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, a ...

who served in the

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

from 2012 to 2020. 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 represented the 19th Senate District, encompassing

Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...

and most of

Ventura County Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxnar ...

. Jackson ran for the 19th Senate District in 2008, but narrowly lost to

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 ...

Tony Strickland Anthony A. "Tony" Strickland (born February 17, 1970) is an American politician. He was voted mayor of Huntington Beach by the Huntington Beach City Council in December 2022. He is a former California State Senator who represented the 19th Dist ...

. After Strickland chose not to pursue reelection to the State Senate in 2012 in order to mount an unsuccessful run for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Jackson was elected to succeed him. In 2016, she was reelected to a second term. Before her election to the State Senate, Jackson served in 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 ...

from 1998 to 2004, representing the 35th Assembly District. Jackson served as Chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus from 2015 to 2016. She is also a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Jackson is a former prosecutor, the co-founder of two nonprofit organizations, and also served as an adjunct professor at

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its n ...

Early life and education

Jackson was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, on May 19, 1950. In 1971, Jackson received her bachelor of arts degree in

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

and

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from

Scripps College Scripps College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1 ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...

. In 1975, Jackson earned her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

Career

Jackson has practiced law in Santa Barbara and Ventura County for 20 years.

State Senate

Committees and caucuses

Jackson served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. She also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and the Senate Public Safety Committee. She also served as chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus.

Tenure

On October 18, 2011, Jackson announced that she would run for the California State Senate's 19th District seat. She was endorsed by the

California Democratic Party The California Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in Sacramento. With 43.5% of the state's registered voters as of 2018, the Democratic Party has the highest number of r ...

, the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...

, the California Teachers Association,

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of member ...

(SEIU) State Council, the

California League of Conservation Voters California Environmental Voters (also called EnviroVoters), formerly the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV), is a lobbying and educational organization which focuses on environmental issues affecting California. It is affiliated with ...

, and the

California Democratic Council The California Democratic Council (CDC), is an independent California non-profit founded at conferences at Asilomar and Fresno conferences in 1952-53 by future U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, State Senator George Miller, Jr. and other liberal Democra ...

, along with over 90 additional endorsements. Jackson won the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

on November 6, 2012, and took the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

on December 3. In 2013, Jackson introduced a bill allow 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote. Senate Bill 113 was passed and signed into law in 2014, and took effect in 2017. Now 16- and 17-year-olds in California can pre-register to vote online. In 2015 the California Fair Pay Act, her equal pay bill, was signed into law. It is one of the toughest pay equity laws in the nation. The law ensures that employees are not paid more for substantially similar work because of their gender. In 2016

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

named Jackson one of 11 women around the country "blazing new trails" in American politics. In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law her SB 63, the New Parent Leave Act, to provide 12 weeks of job-protected maternity and paternity leave for California employees who work for companies with 20 or more employees. In 2018, Governor Brown signed into law her SB 826, which required gender diversity on California's corporate boards. In 2020, Jackson's SB 1383 to expand job protection for family leave to millions of Californians was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

Awards and honors

Jackson has received "Legislator of the Year" awards from a wide range of organizations, including the

Consumer Federation of California The Consumer Federation of California (CFC) was founded in 1960 as a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. CFC campaigns for state and federal laws and appears at the California state legislature in support of consumer-focused regulations.http ...

, Congress of California Seniors,

Californians Against Waste Californians Against Waste is an environmental advocacy organization that advocates for stronger environmental laws and more recycling at the state and local level. The organization was founded in 1977 and has sponsored numerous successful citiz ...

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

, and

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

of California. She is the recipient of the

California Women Lawyers California Women Lawyers (CWL) is the statewide bar association for women in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Sacramento, CWL was founded in 1974 to seek the professional advancement of women lawyers, to promote gender equity in the ...

's annual Fay Stender Award. She was named the "state Senator shifting California's workplace culture" by the New York Times.

Personal life

Jackson is married to retired Santa Barbara County

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

Judge George Eskin. She has a daughter, Jennie, two stepchildren and six grandchildren.About Hannah-Beth Jackson
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References

External links

*
Official websiteJoin California - Hannah-Beth Jackson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Hannah-Beth Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Boston University School of Law alumni Scripps College alumni Living people Women state legislators in California 21st-century American politicians 1950 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians