Assemblywoman Julia Brownley was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2006.  Public service seems to have run in her family of early Virginia settlers.  At age 23, Brownley’s grandfather, Gordon Williamson Shepherd, was one of the youngest men in the 1920 Virginia legislature.  He is described in the Official Virginia Record of Legislators as “an old and wise head on young shoulders.”

Education

With California’s education budget roughly 50% of the state’s overall $100 billion budget, and education among her highest priorities, Assemblywoman Brownley was appointed to Chair the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 2 on Education Finance. This committee reviews all K-12 and higher education budget matters.  In early 2008, she was appointed to Chair the Select Committee on Higher Education in the 21st Century which focuses on the UC and CSU systems, their budgets, and other long-range issues.

Brownley also serves on the Assembly Education policy committee based on her 12 years of leadership on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board – three times as Board President.  She was honored by the California League of High Schools as their “2008 Legislator of the Year” for her work to expand the ways by which proficient high school students could demonstrate their competence and receive their high school diplomas.

Environmental and Resource Protection

Environmental and resource protection is her other top priority, Brownley serves on the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and on the Budget Subcommittee 3 on Environmental Resources.  Environmental stewardship and the preservation of California’s open spaces, public parkland, over 70 miles of coast and wetlands and other fragile natural resources are hallmarks of the 41st Assembly District.

Legislation

In her first two-year term of office, Brownley has carried bills related to education (K-12, higher education, and early education), e-waste recycling, toxic PVC packaging, other consumer protections, clean water, foster care, predatory lending, human trafficking, voter protections, and more equitable benefits for the working disabled. 

Her bills related to bias-free state-funded sex education, tenant rights, and foster care were all signed into law.  The Governor also signed the bill she carried at the request of the L.A. County Sheriff that will now protect the integrity of criminal investigations by prohibiting law enforcement insiders from selling vital evidence to tabloids in high profile cases.

For her voting record on the issues that were important to them, the following groups have all given Brownley a perfect 100% score:  American Cancer Society (health); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (worker rights); California Labor Federation and the AFL/CIO (working families);  California League of Conservation Voters (environmental protection);  NARAL (pro-choice);  and PawPAC (animal rights.)   Brownley was honored by the National Women’s Political Caucus, L.A. Westside, as one of their “12 Remarkable Women” with a page in their 2008 Leadership Calendar.

Personal

Before being elected, Brownley was named “2005 YWCA Woman of the Year” for her leadership on the Santa Monica-Malibu school board and in her community.  She has a B.A. in political science from George Washington University and an M.B.A. from American University.  Her daughter Hannah graduated from college in May of 2008, and son Fred is a pre-med student at UC Berkeley.