Meet the Black Women Legislators Shaping California Policy

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West Athens and parts of Los Angeles.

She was elected to the state Assembly in July last year in a special election after the sudden resignation of Autumn Burke, herself a former CBLC vice-chair and the daughter of California Assembly alum and three-term U.S. Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. Burke cited COVID impacts on her family at the time for her resignation.

McKinnor, who had worked in the Assembly for years as Burke’s chief of staff, is now chair of the Assembly’s Public Employment and Retirement Committee, chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Select Committee, and a member of the Business and Professions and the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committees. Before serving in the Assembly, McKinnor worked for the nonprofit LAVoice developing affordable housing in coordination with faith-based organizations. McKinnor has also been active in advancing reproductive rights, health care and police reforms.

Mia Bonta (D – Oakland)

Mia Bonta ran for and won the 18th Assembly district seat in Alameda County in a 2021 special election called atter her husband, Rob Bonta, who’d held the seat since 2012, was named California Attorney General.

Bonta describes herself as a “proud Black Latina, raised by activists who protested outside the halls of power so that people like her could one day have a seat at the table inside.”

She earned her law degree at Yale, after studying there as an undergraduate. She earned her Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate

School of Education.

Prior to being elected to the state Assembly, Bonta work revolved around improving educational outcomes for low-income students as CEO of Oakland Promise, a district-wide Oakland college and career prep program, and board president of the Alameda Unified School District. She serves on six Assembly committees: Joint Legislative Budget, Public Safety, Human Services, Communications and Conveyance, Business and Professions and the Budget Committee, including two of its subcommittees No. 5 -- Public Safety -- and No. 6 -- Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation.

West Athens and parts of Los Angeles.

She was elected to the state Assembly in July last year in a special election after the sudden resignation of Autumn Burke, herself a former CBLC vice-chair and the daughter of California Assembly alum and three-term U.S. Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. Burke cited COVID impacts on her family at the time for her resignation.

McKinnor, who had worked in the Assembly for years as Burke’s chief of staff, is now chair of the Assembly’s Public Employment and Retirement Committee, chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Select Committee, and a member of the Business and Professions and the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committees.

Before serving in the Assembly, McKinnor worked for the nonprofit LAVoice developing affordable housing in coordination with faith-based organizations.

McKinnor has also been active in advancing reproductive rights, health care and police reforms.

Mia Bonta (D – Oakland)

Mia Bonta ran for and won the 18th Assembly district seat in Alameda County in a 2021 special election called atter her husband, Rob Bonta, who’d held the seat since 2012, was named California Attorney General.

Bonta describes herself as a “proud Black Latina, raised by activists who protested outside the halls of power so that people like her could one day have a seat at the table inside.”

She earned her law degree at Yale, after studying there as an undergraduate. She earned her Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Prior to being elected to the state Assembly, Bonta work revolved around improving educational outcomes for low-income students as CEO of Oakland Promise, a district-wide Oakland college and career prep program, and board president of the Alameda Unified School District.

She serves on six Assembly committees: Joint Legislative Budget, Public Safety, Human Services, Communications and Conveyance, Business and Professions and the Budget Committee, including two of its subcommittees No. 5 -- Public Safety -- and No. 6 -- Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation.