
Betty Karnette
Assembly District 54
(Long Beach, Rolling Hills)
Assemblymember Betty Karnette was re-elected to the California State Assembly in November, 2004. Possessing a wealth of legislative experience; she has the fifth-highest seniority in the Assembly. Currently Assemblymember Karnette serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media and she also chairs the Select Committee on Ports and serves on the Advisory Commission on Special Education.
A former school teacher, Assemblymember Karnette has authored significant education reform. Her legislative accomplishments include enacting the first law requiring annual studies and recommendations on improving California’s port security system, she expanded Laura’s Law to keep families safe from harm by allowing required inpatient treatment for potentially violent people with severe psychological disorders, and helped to 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. She 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.