Nora Campos

Nora Campos
Speaker pro tempore of the California State Assembly
Preceded by	Fiona Ma
Succeeded by	Kevin Mullin
Member of the California State Assembly from the 27th district 23rd district (2010–2012)
In office December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2016
Preceded by	Joe Coto
Succeeded by	Ash Kalra
Member of the San Jose City Council from the 5th District
In office March 13, 2001 – December 6, 2010
Preceded by	Manny Diaz
Succeeded by	Xavier Campos
Personal details
Born	(1965-06-15) June 15, 1965 (age 56)[1] San Jose, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Neil Struthers
Children	One
Education	San Francisco State University
Occupation	Politician
Website	noracamposforsenate.com/

Nora Campos (born June 15, 1965) is an American politician from California. Campos is a 2020 candidate to California's 15th State Senate district. She served on the San Jose City Council and then in the California State Assembly. She is a representative on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and a member of the Latino Caucus of the League of California Cities. While a State assemblywoman, Campos was chair of the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee, and of the Status of Girls and Women of Color Committee.

Prior to taking elected office, she worked as Community Relations Coordinator and then as Chief of Staff for a San Jose City Councilmember.

In addition to her role as chair of two committees, Campos was a member of the Budget Committee, the Business and Professions Committee, the Campus Climate Committee, the Governmental Organization Committee, the Health Committee, the Legislative Budget Committee, the Women in the Workplace Committee, the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, the Local Government Committee, and the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Early life and education[]

Nora Campos was raised in the Cassell neighborhood in East San Jose. She marched with Cesar E. Chavez and cites her early experience with the Farm Worker Movement as an influence on her decision to enter public service as an adult.^{[verification needed]}

Campos graduated from William C. Overfelt High School in 1983 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University.^[2]

Political philosophy[]

Throughout Campos' political career she has adhered to five pillars of public policy: 1) High performing public K-14 education. 2) Affordable post secondary education. 3) Affordable dependent health care. 4) Equality and civil rights against injustices. And 5) High-skill, high-wage, apprenticed careers.

Campos has been honored for her public service by groups such as the Clean Water Coalition, the California Latino Legislative Caucus Institute for Public Policy, and the Lupus Foundation of Northern California.^[3]

San Jose City Council[]

Campos was elected to represent District 5 on the San Jose City Council in a special election in March 2001 and served for ten years, winning re-election twice. As a San Jose City councilwoman, as of 2015, Campos (2001) was one of only six women that have served in that role since 1998; the others are Madison Nguyen (2005), Nancy Pyle (2005), Judy Chirco (2003), Cindy Chavez (1998), and Linda J. LeZotte (1998).^[4]

As a councilwoman, Campos struggled as a Latina with a council steeped in white patriarchy.^[5] Campos was elected following the election of Ron Gonzales, the first Latino mayor at the time in the one hundred and fifty year U.S. history of San Jose; a region predominantly Latino. As a councilwoman, Campos focused on improving opportunities for youth as a counter to gang activities and looked to improve the wages of the working class in San Jose through enforcement of labor laws.^[6][7][8][9]

California State Assembly[]

In June 2009, Campos announced her candidacy for the 23rd California State Assembly District. She was elected on November 10, 2010 with 75% of the vote,^[10] succeeding term-limited Democrat Joe Coto. As an assemblywoman and a Latina, Campos alongside other Latina policymakers like Lorena Gonzalez, represented her constituents in the lopsidedly white male demographic of the California assembly.^[11][12] Campos prevailed in that role, in August 2012 she was appointed speaker pro tempore in the Assembly.^[13]

As an assemblywoman, Campos upheld civil rights.^[14] She sponsored a bill that resolved for the federal government to "immediately halt cases it is pursuing against unrepresented immigrant children until lawyers are made available to represent them."^[15] As a champion of workers, Campos balanced social justice with environmental justice, it is jobs or health, for workers, both are important and Campos maintained a lifetime Eco score of 87%,^[16] which only a third of state assembly members achieved. In a disappointing turn during the 2015 session, Democratic Governor Brown vetoed Campos' AB1017, a bill that would have barred employers from using previous salary information to justify paying women less than their male co-workers.^[17] The bill was one of two vetoed by Governor Brown that day that targeted gender equity, the other was by fellow Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and addressed gender parity in workers' compensation.^[18] In a win, with AB 2393(2016) Campos gained the right to parental leave for all California K-14 employees; this time Governor Brown signed.^[19]

California State Senate[]

In 2016, termed out as an Assembly member and after advancing in the primary with the endorsement of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton,^[20] Campos failed to unseat Jim Beall in the election for the 15th State Senate District by a wide margin.^[21]

In 2020, Jim Beall termed out of California's 15th State Senate district. Campos was one of seven candidates competing for the open seat; the others were fellow Democrats: former San Jose city council member and termed-out Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese and UC Berkeley Law School adjunct lecturer Ann Ravel^[22] along with Republicans Robert Howell and U.S. Army staff sergeant Ken Del Valle and independents Tim Gildersleeve and termed-out San Jose City Councilman Johnny Khamis. During the campaign, Campos received criticism for receiving aid from oil company including Chevron and a political organizations with ties to similar energy companies that also produce oil and gas.^[23]

Campos was defeated in the March 3rd jungle primary by Cortese and Ravel, finishing in third place.^[24] Had Campos been successful, she would have been the first Latina/o to hold the 15th State Senate seat (including prior to rezoning the 13th Senate District).

Election results[]

2010 California State Assembly[]

2012 California State Assembly[]

2014 California State Assembly[]

References[]

External links[]

• Campaign website
• Ballotpedia
• Legislative record