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LWV League of Women Voters of California
Santa Barbara, Ventura County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Hannah-Beth Jackson

Candidate for
Member; California State Assembly; District 35

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

Hannah-Beth Jackson was elected to the California State Assembly on November 3rd, 1998. She represents the 35th Assembly District, which encompasses southern Santa Barbara County (including the City of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Isla Vista, UCSB, Montecito and parts of the Santa Ynez Valley)and western Ventura County (including the City of Ventura, parts of Oxnard).

Hannah-Beth graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, California with a joint major in government and sociology. She received her law degree from Boston University Law School and returned to California to work as a Deputy District Attorney for Santa Barbara County. She eventually started a civil and family law practice in Ventura and Santa Barbara.

As a prosecutor and a family law attorney, Hannah-Beth has advocated for justice for women, children and victims of crime for over twenty years. She has fought for victims of domestic violence and has provided pro bono legal counsel to rape victims at the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. She helped establish the Santa Barbara Shelter Services for Women and Women Against Gun Violence. She is also a founding member and past president of Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee.

Hannah-Beth served on the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women and was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. Hannah-Beth served on Governor Deukmejian's Blue Ribbon Commission for Child Support Development and Enforcement, which was charged with improving child support collection, particularly for women and children on welfare. Hannah-Beth was appointed by State Senator Gary Hart to serve on the State Senate Task Force on Family Equity, where she helped draft legislative proposals designed to improve the plight of women and children during divorce.

Hannah-Beth is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Coastal Protection and Co-Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Title IX. Hannah-Beth also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Women's Caucus. The Assembly standing committees on which Hannah-Beth serves in addition include the Judiciary Committee, the Higher Education Committee, the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee and the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. As a State Assemblymember, Hannah-Beth is an advocate for improving public education, improving access to health care, protecting the environment, and protecting the rights of consumers. She has successfully passed legislation in issue areas including education, health care, environmental protection, domestic violence, crime victims' rights, shelters for our homeless population, gun control, childcare and family law. As Chair of the Natural Resources Committee she works hard to protect the state's precious natural resources. She is one of the Legislature's strongest advocates for protecting the financial privacy rights of Californians. Also, she staunchly opposes any limitation on a woman's right to reproductive choice. The Consumer Federation of California named her their "Assemblymember of the Year" for her strong advocacy on behalf of consumers, particularly in the areas of health care and privacy rights.

Hannah-Beth is married to attorney George Eskin. She has an 18-year-old daughter, two stepchildren and three grandchildren. The family resides in Santa Barbara.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 13, 2002 20:35
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