Jesse Gabriel
Jesse Samuel Gabriel (born September 25, 1981) is an American attorney and California Assemblymember. A Democratic Party member, Gabriel represents the 45th Assembly District, which encompasses much of the west San Fernando Valley.
Jesse Gabriel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 45th district | |
| Assumed office June 11, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Dababneh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jesse Samuel Gabriel September 25, 1981 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Rachel Rosner |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Encino, Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life and career
Gabriel was born in Berkeley, CA and raised in Oak Park, California.[1] 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.[2] He earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he received the Dean's Award for Community Leadership from then Dean and now Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.[3] From 2008 to 2010, he served as counsel to Evan Bayh while Bayh was a member of the United States Senate.
He worked for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was a part of the firm's litigation and public policy groups. In 2017, he filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration on behalf of young undocumented immigrants, also known as Dreamers, who were protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).[4] Gabriel also represented Holocaust survivors, victims of domestic abuse, and communities facing hate-motivated violence. He was honored with a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) award by The Daily Journal in 2018.
Assembly career
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.[1] 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, where he serves as Assistant Majority Whip.[5] He also was elected by his colleagues as Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. In 2019, Gabriel was one of 100 leaders from across the state designated as a "California Influencer" by The Sacramento Bee.[6] During his first full year in the State Assembly, Gabriel authored six bills that were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, including highly regarded measures expanding legal services for low-income Californians[7][8] and protecting communities at risk of hate-motivated violence.[9]
Gabriel co-founded a legislative working group and partnered with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and Moms Demand Action to enact more than a dozen new gun safety measures.[10]
Gabriel currently serves on the Appropriations Committee, as well as the Committees on Banking and Finance, Higher Education, Housing and Community Development, and Privacy and Consumer Protection. He is also the Chair of the Select Committee on Jobs and Innovation in the San Fernando Valley and a member of the Select Committee on Women's Reproductive Health.[11]
2018 election
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jesse Gabriel | 31,068 | 43.7 | |
| Republican | Justin M. Clark | 22,709 | 31.9 | |
| Democratic | Tricia Robbins Kasson | 5,277 | 7.4 | |
| Democratic | Ankur Patel | 4,534 | 6.4 | |
| Democratic | Jeff Bornstein | 4,039 | 5.7 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Brin | 2,432 | 3.4 | |
| Democratic | Ray Bishop | 1,088 | 1.5 | |
| Total votes | 71,147 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jesse Gabriel (incumbent) | 107,757 | 70.3 | |
| Republican | Justin M. Clark | 45,619 | 29.7 | |
| Total votes | 153,376 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2020 election
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jesse Gabriel (incumbent) | 53,344 | 100% | |
| Total votes | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
A committed environmentalist and longtime community activist, Gabriel previously served as a Los Angeles County Commissioner and as a board member of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.[3] Gabriel lives in Encino with his wife Rachel Rosner—an affordable housing attorney—and their sons Ethan, Joshua, and Noah.
References
- "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.
- "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.
- "Gabriel Appointed To Assembly Leadership". Official Website - Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel Representing the 45th California Assembly District. June 18, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "California Influencers to discuss top policy issues of 2019". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019.
- The Times Editorial Board. "Editorial: Support funding for civil counsel in California". The Los Angeles Times.
- Chou, Elizabeth. "Legal aid for low-income residents in the San Fernando Valley gets a funding boost under state bill". The Los Angeles Daily News.
- City News Service (October 11, 2019). "Governor signs SFV lawmaker's bill establishing hate-crime protections". Daily News.
- "California lawmakers form gun-violence working group after meeting with Gabrielle Giffords". Los Angeles Times. February 4, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Committees". Official Website - Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel Representing the 45th California Assembly District. June 11, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
