Biography

Pedro was elected to the State Assembly on November 2nd, 2004. He currently serves as Chair of both the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, and the Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security. He is a member of the Transportation Committee, Appropriations, the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials and the Select Committee on Ports. Pedro also serves on the California Ocean Protection Council, which is charged with coordinating and improving protection and management of California's ocean and coastal resources; the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency that works to promote economy, efficiency, and improved services in the transaction of the public business; and the California Emergency Council, which serves as the official advisory body to the Governor during times of emergency and on matters pertaining to emergency preparedness.

From 1997 to 2004, Pedro served on the California Coastal Commission. With the highest coastal resource protection voting record the Sierra Club, the League for Coastal Protection, and the Santa Barbara Chapter of the California League of Conservation Voters named him an "Environmental Hero." Assemblymember Nava also was awarded the 2005 National Hispanic Environmental Council's "Environmental Leadership Award." He made welcoming remarks and served on a panel at the California and the World Ocean Conference in September 2006.

Since his election, he has received the following awards: Humane Society United States Legislator of the Year Award; Southern California Contractors Association Legislator of the Year Award; California Museum Association, President’s Award; California Coastal Coalition and Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project Award; California Animal Association Award; Environment California Environmental Champion Award; CALPIRG Public Interest Champion Award; California Labor Federation and State Building and Construction Trades Council Award; State Coalition of Probation Organizations Legislator of the Year Award; the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges Freshman Term Legislator of the Year Award; Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition Award; and the Association of California School Administrators Region 13 Friend of Education Award.

Pedro has participated in numerous hearings dealing with California’s emergency preparedness system, and is a leading voice in the call for increased readiness among government agencies and California’s families and communities. He is a signatory on the Little Hoover Commission’s report “Safeguarding the State: Preparing for Catastrophic Events,” which raised concerns over the ability of the state to prepare for and respond to major disasters. Pedro has successfully introduced reforms of the California Emergency Council, the official advisory body to the Governor on matters of emergency preparedness, and increased the interoperability of emergency responder communications.

Born in 1948, and living in Santa Barbara, Pedro grew up and attended public schools in Southern California. He is a strong supporter of public education. He studied at San Bernardino Valley College, graduated from San Bernardino State, and obtained his law degree from the University of California, Davis, Martin Luther King Jr. Hall, School of Law.

After graduation from law school, he worked in job training programs for the economically disadvantaged in Fresno. Pedro later became a Deputy District Attorney in the Fresno County DA's Office, involved in Targeted Narcotics Prosecution; headed up the county-wide Drug Crime Task Force; was a Board member of the Fresno Rape Crisis Center; and President of the Fresno Community College President's EOP&S Advisory Committee. In 1985, he joined the Santa Barbara DA's office where, for a time, he was assigned to the Consumer/Business Law Section. Since 1987, Pedro has been a civil litigator, primarily representing nurses and health care practitioners.

Pedro has a long history of community involvement, having served as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law, President of the Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers, Trustee of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Honorary Board member of the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, and a long time member of the Santa Barbara Jewish-Latino Roundtable. Pedro received the first Women's Economic Ventures "Man of Equality" award.

Pedro is married to Susan Jordan, co-founder of the California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) and Vote The Coast. They have one son, a junior in college. They live in Santa Barbara.