Assemblymember Susan Bonilla was elected in November 2010 and currently represents California’s 11th Assembly District, which is primarily comprised of the northern portion of Contra Costa County. She previously served on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, representing the County’s 4th District of Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and portions of Walnut Creek. She was elected to the Board in 2006, previously serving on the Concord City Council and as Mayor. Prior to serving as a public official, Bonilla worked as a high school English teacher in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District.
She currently is the Chairwoman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #2 on Education Finance where she is focused on renewing California’s commitment to high quality K-12 and higher education. Bonilla is currently authoring five education related bills that will ensure that certain communities, such as foster youth, are not placed at a disadvantage. Additionally, Bonilla is the Chairwoman of the Select Committee on High Quality Early Childhood Education and the California Science, Engineering, Technology, Math (STEM) task force in addition to being a member of the Assembly Health, Transportation, Elections and Redistricting, Budget, and Budget Subcommittee #6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation committees. Her legislative priorities include improving our educational system, fostering economic development and job creation, improving access to health care, and rebuilding California’s transportation system.
As a member of Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors, Bonilla created the Foster Youth Employment Program, providing youth in the county foster system job opportunities within the county structure. She also developed partnerships to open the Michael Chavez Center for Economic Opportunity to provide job training directly to residents within the Monument Corridor of Concord. Additionally, she advocated for government partnerships with non-profit agencies and local businesses, creating a new and innovative public/private partnership that provides grants to non-profits to deliver services to our community resulting in taxpayer savings and tangible benefits to the local economy. As a former teacher, she is dedicated to improving California’s public education system. While on the Concord City Council, she initiated the Literacy Coalition, a network of literacy providers dedicated to raising the awareness of literacy needs and mobilizing volunteers to meet those needs.
Bonilla earned her B.A. in English from Azusa Pacific University in 1982 and her teaching credential from CSU Los Angeles in 1987. Bonilla and her husband, John, reside in Concord. They have four daughters and two grandchildren.
For more information regarding Assemblymember Susan Bonilla go to: www.susanbonilla.com
