Biography

Tom Ammiano is a long-time San Francisco Democratic leader who has served the city nearly three decades as a teacher, civil rights leader, educator and Supervisor.

A native of New Jersey, Tom earned his B.A. from Seton Hall and his Masters Degree in special education from San Francisco State University. He taught English to children in South Vietnam as part of a Quaker program until 1968, when he returned to San Francisco to become a public school teacher shortly after the Tet Offensive.

Tom was elected to the San Francisco School Board in 1990, where he served until 1994 and was elected President of the School Board. In 1994, Tom won citywide election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 2000, after the institution of district elections, Tom was elected District 9 Supervisor, and he represented the Mission District, Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods.

He served as President of the Board of Supervisors from 1998 to 2002. In addition to serving on the Board, Tom served on the Golden Gate Bridge Board and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Among the San Francisco communities represented by Assemblymember Ammiano are:  Bay View Hunters Point, Japantown, Bernal Heights, the Mission, Chinatown, the Castro, Diamond Heights, western addition, the Marina, South of Market, and Downtown.

Assemblymember Ammiano is the Vice Chair of the Assembly Human Resources Committee, a member of Assembly Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, Health Committee and Rules Committee.  Additionally, he a member of the State Legislature’s LGBT Caucus and Environmental Caucus and the Assembly Coastal Caucus.

Accomplishments

Among Assemblymember Ammiano’s many accomplishments while on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors:

• Authored legislation establishing San Francisco as the first city in America to provide universal health care access.

• Won the battle to dramatically increase salaries for lowest-paid city employees and contract workers.

• Authored measures to increase police accountability and strengthen the Office of Citizen’s Complaints.

• Sponsored city “Great Schools” Charter Amendment adding $300 million to San Francisco public schools.

• Established a fund that provides millions annually to subsidize child care, health and social services for San Francisco youth.

• Passed pioneering law to extend marriage privileges to domestic partners in the city.

• Created a fund to assist first-time home buyers and develop housing available to all San Francisco residents.