Mia Bonta wins California Assembly seat formerly held by her husband

Bonta is back in the Assembly. Mia Bonta, the wife of Attorney General Rob Bonta, won the special election for the Assembly District 18 seat that used to be held by husband.

On Thursday, Mia Bonta declared victory over her Democratic opponent, progressive attorney Janani Ramachandran, after receiving 56% of the vote — More than 63,000 ballots were counted.

Following is Mia Bonta's statement:

“I am honored and grateful that you have put your trust in me to represent our community in Sacramento.

"Rob and I chose to build our life here in the East Bay because we knew this community was special. This is a unique pocket of the world where we celebrate our diversity, where we welcome folks of different backgrounds, where folks are free to speak their mind and stand up against injustice. It is that special East Bay spirit that I plan to represent in the Assembly. I am going to Sacramento to build upon that ethos to help our community thrive.

"How will we do that? Together, we will build more affordable housing so folks can afford to live here. We will invest in our public schools so our students and teachers can reach their full potential. We will invest in clean energy and environmental justice initiatives to protect our health and ensure our future. We will reform our criminal justice system so that folks are not treated differently based on the color of their skin or the dollar amount in their bank account. 

"Our community is strong, and we have all the leadership and potential to make it stronger and better, and that is what I intend to always strive for in the Assembly.

"This was a people-powered campaign. This victory belongs to every volunteer who gave their time to canvassing, calling, and texting voters to get the word out about the importance of voting in this special election. I want to thank everyone who had a hand in getting us here tonight—you inspire me and you are the reason we are going to see real change here in our community.

"I am ready to go to Sacramento and get to work!” she said.

Mia Bonta, president of the Alameda Unified School District Board and the CEO of the nonprofit Oakland Promise, declared her candidacy in April after Gov. Gavin Newsom named her husband as Attorney General, the first Filipino American to hold that post.

In the heavily Democratic district encompassing Alameda, Oakland, San Leandro and Castro Valley, earned endorsements from the California Legislative Black Caucus and the California Latino Legislative Caucus, as well as Senator Alex Padilla, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Dolores Huerta, Stacey Abrams, dozens of state legislators, and a score of local East Bay officials.

Mia Bonta running for her husband's former Assembly post

MIA BONTA

 

Assemblymember Rob Bonta had to resign his seat when he became California's first Filipino American Attorney General last month, but the 18th Assembly District could still be represented by Bonta -- Mia Bonta, that is.

Mia Bonta, the wife of AG Bonta and president of the Alameda Unified Board of Education, has announce her intention to run for her husband's former seat.

Several candidates are running for the East Bay district but Bonta's name recognition, a long list of political endorsements that include the state's Secretary of State Shirley Weber and a long career aiding the less fortunate could give her an edge.

"My background and experiences as a child advocate and as a youth advocate and as an advocate for working families stand on their own," Mia Bonta said. "And I'm extremely qualified to serve the communities of the East Bay in the state Assembly."

“I’m running on behalf of East Bay children and working families to push open California’s door of opportunity for communities that have for too long been locked out. The pandemic has further exacerbated systemic inequalities, while exposing once again the precariousness of so many people’s livelihoods," said Bonta, who is of African American and Latino heritage.

Among those campaigning for the district is Filipino American, Malia Vella.

Since 2012, District 18, which represents about 500,000 residents and includes most of Oakland, along with the cities of Alameda and San Leandro, has been represented by her husband Rob Bonta, with whom she has raised three children.

The Bronx-born Mia Bonta has dedicated over two decades to public education and providing youth and families with quality educational opportunities at the local, state, and national level. She has done strategic planning for school districts, run middle school to career youth development programs, advocated for children with special education needs, worked in education policy and philanthropy, and currently runs an educational technology startup that supports early learners and their families throughout the Bay Area.

She met her husband when both were first-year students at Yale. They have been married for 30 years and have three children.

Other candidates that have already announced their intention to run are Malia Vella, the first Filipina on the Alameda City Council, San Leandro Unified School District board trustee James Aguilar and social justice attorney Janani Ramachandran. 

Vella, who teaches at Mills College, had previous political experience at the state level, serving as the district director of former 18th District Assemblymember Bill Quirk. If Vella wins the legislative contest, she would become the only Filipino American in the State Legislature.

If elected, Mia Bonta said she'll prioritize education and housing affordability.

"These issues ... are personal for me, I grew up and my family moved 13 times in 16 years," said the 49-year old Bonta. "I have built into me the experience of feeling that housing insecurity, and I know the impact that has on one's ability to be able to get work, to keep work, to keep an education, to be focused on an educational pathway.

"I am ready to go to Sacramento to fight for our East Bay communities and ensure Californians of all backgrounds get a fair shot.” 

The special election for the 18th Assembly District seat will be held June 29. If no candidate has a plurality, a runoff election between the top two vote-getters will be held later in the summer.

CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this post incorrectly stated that Mia Bonta is of Filipino descent. This assumption was never claimed by Bonta in any of the source material used to write the post. This article has been edited May 28, 12:15 a.m. to reflect Bonta's racial heritage, which is Afro-Latino American, according to her campaign manager. We apologize for  the error and any confusion it may have caused.