Jesse Gabriel
Jesse Gabriel | |
---|---|
Member of the California Assembly | |
Assumed office June 11, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Matt Dababneh |
Constituency | 45th district (2018–2022) 46th district (2022–present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Jesse Samuel Gabriel September 25, 1981 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Rachel Rosner |
Children | 3 |
Residence(s) | Encino, Los Angeles, California |
Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Occupation | Politician |
Jesse Samuel Gabriel (born September 25, 1981) is an American constitutional rights attorney and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gabriel represents California's 46th State Assembly district, which includes much of the west San Fernando Valley, in the California State Assembly.[1]
Gabriel currently serves as Chair of the powerful Assembly Budget Committee[2] as well as Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus[3] During his time in the legislature, he has authored more than 40 new laws and has been recognized as a “California Influencer” by The Sacramento Bee.[4]
Early life and Education
[edit]Gabriel was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Oak Park, California.[5] In 2004, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in political science. At Berkeley, Gabriel served as student government president in the Associated Students of the University of California during the 2002–03 academic year.[6] He earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he graduated with honors and received the Dean's Award for Community Leadership from then Dean and now U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan.[7]
Career
[edit]From 2008 to 2010, he served as counsel to Evan Bayh while Bayh was serving as a member of the United States Senate.
Before being elected to the California State Assembly, Gabriel worked as a constitutional rights and general litigation attorney for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, where he was a part of the firm's litigation and public policy groups. Gabriel's most notable cases included representing victims of domestic abuse, Holocaust survivors, and groups facing hate-motivated violence. In 2017, he filed two lawsuits against the Trump Administration on behalf of young illegal immigrants, also known as Dreamers, who were protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[8] He received the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award from The Daily Journal in 2018.[9]
Prior to his election in 2018, Gabriel served as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the League of Conservation Voters. He also was appointed by LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to the Los Angeles County Commission on Local Governmental Services.[10]
California Assembly
[edit]Following Matt Dababneh's resignation from the California State Assembly after numerous charges of sexual harassment, effective December 31, 2017, Gabriel announced his candidacy in a special election to replace him in California's 45th State Assembly district.[5] Gabriel won the special election on June 5, 2018, earning 65.7 percent of the vote. He was sworn into office on June 11. He won reelection to his first full term in the November 2018 General Election against Justin Clark, winning with 70.3 percent of the vote.
Shortly after assuming office, Gabriel was appointed to the State Assembly Leadership as Assistant Majority Whip under Majority Whip Todd Gloria. He also was elected by his colleagues as Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus under Chair Ben Allen.
Legislation
[edit]During his first full term in the State Assembly, Gabriel authored nine bills that were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, including legislation to expand legal services for low-income Californians in civil cases and to establish a Nonprofit Security Grant Program to improve the physical security of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of violent attacks or hate crimes.[11][12]
In 2019, Gabriel co-founded a legislative working group that hosted former Congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Moms Demand Action with the purpose of discussing gun control in California and enacting more than a dozen new gun safety measures.[13]
In 2023, Gabriel authored the California Food Safety Act, a bipartisan measure to ban red dye no. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben from foods sold in California.[14] The bill received significant national and international press coverage [15] and was described as a “truly historic win for consumers”.[16] The bill passed the Legislature on a bipartisan vote in both houses and was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 7, 2023.[17]
In 2023, Gabriel authored the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, a first-in-the-nation measure which taxes gun industry profits to fund gun violence prevention and school safety in communities across California.[18] This legislation was supported by a coalition of more than 100 gun safety groups but was strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the California Rifle & Pistol Association.[19] Governor Newsom signed the bill into law on September 26, 2023.[20]
Gabriel was a principal co-author of the constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom in the California Constitution.[21] He also co-authored the constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality in the California Constitution.[22]
Electoral History
[edit]Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | Ref. | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | |||||||||
2018 (Special) | California State Assembly | 45th | Democratic | 10,632 | 32.7% | 1st | 46,168 | 65.7% | 1st | Won | Hold | [23] | ||
2018 | Democratic | 31,068 | 43.7% | 1st | 107,757 | 70.3% | 1st | Won | Hold | [24] | ||||
2020 | Democratic | 77,512 | 98.8% | 1st | 136,904 | 66.2% | 1st | Won | Hold | [25] | ||||
2022 | 46th | Democratic | 52,362 | 67.3% | 1st | 78,726 | 65.4% | 1st | Won | Hold | [26] | |||
2024 | Democratic | 50,156 | 65.5% | 1st | TBD | [27] | ||||||||
Source: Secretary of State of California | Statewide Election Results |
Personal life
[edit]Gabriel lives in Encino with his wife Rachel Rosner, an affordable housing attorney, and their three sons.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Biography". Assembly District 46. 2024 California State Assembly Democratic Caucus.
- ^ "Welcome to Assembly Committee on Budget". California State Assembly Committee on Budget. 2024 State of California.
- ^ "Latest Caucus News". The California Legislative Jewish Caucus. California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
- ^ "Who are our 2019 California Influencers?". sacbee.com. August 22, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ a b "Attorney Jesse Gabriel running for Dababneh's Assembly seat". Daily News. January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Eskenazi, Joe (September 1, 2006). "Jewish brothers make U.C. student presidency a family tradition". J. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "Jesse Gabriel – 20XX – June 2018 | LALCV". lalcv.org. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Several LA-area DACA immigrants among those suing Trump administration". Daily News. September 18, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Gibson Dunn | Gibson Dunn Team Named Among California Lawyers of the Year". Gibson Dunn. April 5, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Jesse Gabriel – 20XX – June 2018 | LALCV". lalcv.org. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Text - AB-1548 California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Text - AB-330 Appointed legal counsel in civil cases". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Governor Newsom Signs Package of New Gun Laws from Legislature's Gun Violence Prevention Working Group". Official Website - Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel Representing the 45th California Assembly District. October 14, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "AB-418 The California Food Safety Act". California Legislative Information. State of California.
- ^ McCarthy, Kelly. "California 1st in US to ban 4 chemicals in food: What to know". ABC News. ABC News. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Chuck, Elizabeth. "California Legislature passes first bill in U.S. to ban food additives, including red dye No. 3". NBC News. NBC Universal Media, LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "AB-418 The California Food Safety Act". California Legislative Information. State of California.
- ^ Mclively, Mike. "California's Landmark Violence Prevention Legislation Deserves to Become Law". Giffords. Giffords. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Wiley, Hannah. "Newsom signs gun laws that add new taxes and limit where owners can carry firearms". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Governor Newsom Strengthens California's Nation-Leading Gun Safety Laws". Governor Gavin Newsom. State of California. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "SCA-10 Reproductive freedom". California Legislative Information. State of California.
- ^ "ACA-5 Marriage equality". California Legislative Information. State of California.
- ^ Primary election:
- "Special Primary Election, April 3, 2018". Final Official Election Results - Assembly District 45. California Secretary of State.
- "Special General Election, June 5, 2018". Final Official Election Results - Assembly District 45. California Secretary of State.
- ^ Primary election:
- "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018. California Secretary of State.
- "Statement of Vote" (PDF). General Election - Statement of Vote, November 6, 2018. California Secretary of State.
- ^ Primary election:
- "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Presidential Primary Election - Statement of Vote, March 3, 2020. California Secretary of State.
- "Statement of Vote" (PDF). General Election - Statement of Vote, November 3, 2020. California Secretary of State.
- ^ Primary election:
- "Statement of the Vote" (PDF). Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 7, 2022. California Secretary of State.
- "Statement of the Vote" (PDF). General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022. California Secretary of State.
- ^ Primary election:
- "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Presidential Primary Election - Statement of Vote, March 5, 2024. California Secretary of State.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- California lawyers
- People from Encino, Los Angeles
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Jewish American state legislators in California
- Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
- 1981 births
- People associated with Gibson Dunn
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century members of the California State Legislature