Biography

Betty Karnette was re-elected to the California State Assembly in November, 2004, to represent the 54th District: Avalon, Long Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Signal Hill and portions of Los Angeles County. 

Assemblymember Karnette possesses a wealth of legislative experience; she has the fifth-highest seniority in the Assembly.  In 2007-2008, Karnette will serve as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media.  Other committee assignments include: Appropriations, Education, and Transportation.  She also chairs the Select Committee on Ports and serves on the Advisory Commission on Special Education. 

Trade issues – especially port security and the movement of goods – have been a primary focus of Karnette’s legislative agenda.  Karnette is the only Legislator whose district includes both the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and her Select Committee on Ports has examined the economic, environmental and security impact California’s maritime industry. 

A former school teacher, Karnette has authored significant education reform.  That will continue to be a cornerstone of her work in the Legislature. Her legislative accomplishments include:

• Created ambitious new program at Long Beach Unified School District to help struggling students catch up and improve their performance with special instruction (AB 2989);
• Enacted the first law requiring annual studies and recommendations on improving California’s port security system (AB 2237);
• Protected coastal residents by requiring state and local agencies to develop coordinated evacuation plans for state and local ports (AB 2274);
• Expanded Laura’s Law to keep families safe from harm by allowing required inpatient treatment for potentially violent people with severe psychological disorders (AB 2357);
• Protected domestic violence shelter funding from being diverted elsewhere (AB 2084);
• Streamlined trash and pollution cleanup by making it quicker and easier for the state to provide locals with much needed, existing cleanup funding (AB 2211);
• Wrote the law requiring politicians to list their campaign contributions online (SB 49);
• Conducted landmark study on California’s commercial transportation system (SCR 96);
• Helped enact the Amber Alert to rescue abducted children.

Assemblymember Karnette is also an active member of her local community.  She taught math and science in nearby schools for 30 years.  Karnette serves as a board member for Young Horizons, a Long Beach non-profit that helps at-risk youth, and for the Long Beach Memorial Hospital Children’s Clinic. 

Karnette has lived in Long Beach with her husband Richard since 1952.  They have one daughter.  Karnette was born in Paducah, Kentucky and completed her B.A. and M.A. degrees at California State University, Long Beach.