Noreen Evans was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2004, representing the people of Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties.

As Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, Noreen works directly with the Assembly Speaker and the leadership team to identify and implement the Assembly Democrats legislative agenda. As Chair of the Select Committee on Wine, she serves as a liaison between the wine industry, wine grape growers, and the State Assembly.

Noreen is also a member of many other Assembly committees, giving her a commanding voice on policy and budget issues important to her constituents. She serves on:

• the Committees on Budget, Government Organization, Judiciary, and Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials;
• the Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources; and
• the Select Committees on Foster Care and Mobile Homes.

Furthermore, as a member of the Law Revision Commission, Noreen studies intricate legal problems to resolve deficits in our laws and identifies major policy questions for legislative attention. As a member of the Commission on the Status of Women, Noreen advises the Governor and the Legislature on inequities in laws, practices and conditions that affect women.

Noreen has lived in Sonoma County since 1982 where she worked as an attorney focusing on civil litigation and appeals. Prior to her election to the Assembly, she worked for the Santa Rosa law firm Lanahan & Reilley, LLP and was formerly a litigation partner in the Santa Rosa law firm O'Brien, Watters, & Davis. Noreen is also admitted to practice in various federal district courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

She also served in local government for 11 years. As a Planning Commissioner and a two-term City Council Member in Santa Rosa, she was a leader on budget issues, waterways policy, campaign finance reform, and child care.

Noreen is on the Board of Directors of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, a leadership training program for sustainable development. She is also a founding member of Coalition for a Better Sonoma County, a coalition of labor, environmental, and social justice activists.

Noreen received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1981. After graduation, she studied international business law at the University of Salzburg and worked in Ireland at a Dublin firm of solicitors. Noreen also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento in 1978.

Noreen lives in Santa Rosa. She has three children: Erin, Joel, and Rachel.