Biography

Assemblymember Rob Bonta was elected to the California State Assembly's 18th district in 2012, where he represents the cities of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro. Assemblymember Bonta is also the first Filipino American to be elected to the California State Legislature.

Assemblymember Rob Bonta serves as Chair of the Public Employees, Retirement, and Social Security committee. He also serves as a member of the Health, Transportation, Banking and Finance, and Elections and Redistricting committees.

Prior to serving in the Assembly, Rob Bonta was elected Vice Mayor of the City of Alameda. Throughout his career in public service, Bonta, 41, has distinguished himself as a strong advocate for Alameda's and California's public schools. He has fought to prevent layoffs of firefighters and police officers, foster economic development, exercise fiscal responsibility, and improve recreation opportunities for families.

Prior to being elected to the Alameda City Council, Rob was an elected member of the Alameda Health Care District Board of Directors, where he played a key role in stabilizing the finances of Alameda Hospital. He also served as the Chair of the City of Alameda's Economic Development Commission, where he focused on business attraction and business retention efforts.

Rob began his public service in Alameda as the board president for both the Social Service Human Relations Board, where he fought to protect safety net services for the most vulnerable members of the community, and Alternatives in Action, which oversees high school, preschool and after school programs serving youth from Oakland, San Leandro, and Alameda.

Rob served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, where he represented the City and County and its employees and brings cases to protect California's residents from different forms of abuse. His legal career has included service as a litigation associate for a major Bay Area law firm and as a law clerk for Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the United States District Court in Connecticut.

Rob is the son of a proud native Filipino mother and a father who taught him the value of public service to his community. They both worked with the United Farm Workers and were active in the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing fight for social, economic, and racial justice.

Rob graduated with honors from Yale College with a degree in History. After studying at Oxford University in England, he returned to earn his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.

Rob and his wife Mialisa live in Alameda with their three children.