California State Assembly, District 12 (CA AD-12)

Jackie Elward

Jackie Elward is an educator, labor organizer, immigrant, and local elected official running for California State Assembly District 12, representing communities across Marin and Sonoma counties in the North Bay. Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jackie came to the United States with her husband to start a family. As a bilingual educator at Santa Rosa French Immersion School, she served as a site representative for California School Employees Association Local 75, organizing her fellow educators to gain a stronger voice in their workplace.

In 2020, Jackie became the first Black woman elected to the Rohnert Park City Council, where she has served as Councilmember and as Mayor. During her tenure, Jackie has worked to support high-wage union job creation, expand affordable housing, address food insecurity, increase access to renewable energy programs, and secure greater investment in wildfire prevention projects.

Jackie is running for State Assembly to bring her local government, education, and labor experience to Sacramento. Her priorities include addressing the North Bay’s high cost of living, creating affordable housing, improving wildfire prevention, addressing climate change, and protecting reproductive rights. Jackie is proudly pro-choice and will be a fierce advocate for reproductive rights in the State Legislature. She would like to see more funding for clinics like Planned Parenthood which have been devastated by federal cuts.

Jackie Elward Campaign Website

Endorsements

  • U.S. Congressmember Mike Thompson

  • U.S. Congressmember Ro Khanna

  • U.S. Congressmember Lateefah Simon

  • Former U.S. Congressmember Lynn Woolsey

  • California State Attorney General Rob Bonta

  • California State Controller Malia Cohen

  • California State Treasurer Fiona Ma

  • California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond

  • California State Board of Equalization Chair Sally Lieber

  • State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas

  • State Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry

  • State Assemblymember Damon Connolly

  • State Assemblymember Tasha Boerner

  • State Assemblymember Mia Bonta

  • State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan

  • State Assemblymember Sade Elhawary

  • State Assemblymember Mike Gipson

  • State Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson

  • State Assemblymember Ash Kalra

  • State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor

  • State Assemblymember Liz Ortega

  • State Assemblymember Nick Schultz

  • State Assemblymember Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins

  • Former California Secretary of State and Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley

  • Former California State Controller Betty Yee

  • Former State Senator Steven Bradford

  • Former State Senator Josh Newman

  • Former State Assemblymember Michael Allen

  • Former State Assemblymember Betsy Butler

  • Former State Assemblymember Leona Egeland Rice

Organizations

  • 350 Bay Area Action

  • ACCE Action

  • Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575 (AMU)

  • American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees DC57 (AFSCME)

  • Bay Area Reporter

  • Boilermakers Local 549

  • California Armenian American Democrats

  • California Black Women's Collective PAC

  • California College Democrats

  • California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus

  • California Democratic Renters Council

  • California Environmental Voters

  • California Faculty Association (CFA)

  • California Federation of Labor Unions (CFLU)

  • California Federation of Teachers (CFT)

  • California Legislative Black Caucus

  • California Legislative Progressive Caucus

  • California Nurses Association (CNA)

  • California Professional Firefighters (CPF)

  • California School Employees Association (CSEA)

  • California Teachers Association (CTA)

  • California Women’s List

  • California Young Democrats (CYD)

  • Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund

  • Clean Water Action

  • Climate Action California

  • College of Marin Young Democrats

  • Consumer Attorneys of California

  • Consumer Federation of California (CFC)

  • Contra Costa Young Democrats

  • Courage California

  • Elect Black Women

  • Ella Baker Center Action Fund

  • Green Party of Sonoma County

  • Healthcare for All-California

  • Her Bold Move

  • HONOR PAC

  • Indivisible Marin Steering Committee

  • Indivisible Sonoma County

  • Initiate Justice Action

  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 16 (ITASE)

  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 551 (IBEW)

  • International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8 (IUEC)

  • Iranian American Democrats of California (IADC)

  • Jane Fonda Climate PAC

  • Latino PAC of Sonoma County

  • Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775

  • National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 183

  • National Association of Social Workers

  • National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW)

  • North Bay Building Trades

  • North Bay Labor Council, AFL-CIO

  • Operating Engineers Local 3

  • Our Revolution

  • Our Revolution East Bay

  • PowerPAC Voter Fund

  • Professional Firefighters of Sonoma County, IAFF Local 1401

  • Project Super Bloom

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Young Democrats

  • Santa Rosa Teachers Association

  • SEIU California

  • SEIU-UHW

  • Sheet Metal Workers Local 104

  • Sierra Club

  • Sonoma County Asian Pacific Islander PAC

  • Sonoma County Conservation Action

  • Sonoma County Student Progressives

  • Sonoma State Young Democrats

  • Teamsters Joint Council 7

  • Teamsters Local 665

  • The Collective PAC

  • UA Local 38 Plumbers & Pipefitters

  • UAW Region 6

  • UDW/AFSCME Local 3930

  • UNITE HERE Local 2

  • Working Families Party

County and City Leaders

  • Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez

  • Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins

  • Former Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane

  • Mill Valley Mayor Max Perrey

  • Corte Madera Mayor Rosa Thomas

  • Larkspur Mayor Stephanie Andre

  • Former Novato Mayor Carole Dillon-Knutson

  • Fairfax Town Councilmember Frank Egger

  • Former Fairfax Town Councilmember Bruce Ackerman

  • Former San Anselmo Mayor Alexis Fineman

  • Former San Anselmo Mayor Ford Greene

  • Marin Water Board of Director Jed Smith

  • Ross Valley Sanitary District Board Member Pamela Meigs

  • Santa Rosa Councilmember & Former Mayor Natalie Rogers

  • Santa Rosa Councilmember Eddie Alvarez

  • Santa Rosa Councilmember Dianna MacDonald

  • Santa Rosa Councilmember Caroline Bañuelos

  • Former Santa Rosa Vice Mayor Marsha Vas Dupre

  • Rohnert Park Mayor Emily Sanborn

  • Rohnert Park Councilmember Gerard Giudice

  • Rohnert Park Councilmember Susan Hollingsworth Adams

  • Rohnert Park Councilmember Samantha Rodriguez

  • Cotati Mayor Sylvia Lemus

  • Cotati Councilmember Ben Ford

  • Cotati Councilmember Laura Sparks

  • Cotati Councilmember John Savage

  • Petaluma Councilmember Karen Nau

  • Petaluma Councilmember Brian Barnacle

  • Petaluma Councilmember John Shribbs

  • Petaluma Councilmember Frank Quint

  • Former Petaluma Mayor Teresa Barrett

  • Former Petaluma Mayor Pamela Torliatt-Ghirardelli

  • Former Petaluma Vice Mayor D'Lynda Fischer

  • Former Petaluma Councilmember Mike Harris

  • Former Petaluma Councilmember Dennis Pocekay

  • Former Petaluma Councilmember Matt Maguire

  • Former Petaluma Councilmember Mary Stompe

  • Sebastopol Vice-Mayor Sandra Maurer

  • Sebastopol Councilmember Stephen Zollman

  • Sebastopol Councilmember Neysa Hinton

  • Sonoma Councilmember Jack Ding

  • Former Sonoma Mayor Logan Harvey

  • Cloverdale Mayor Brian Wheeler

  • Cloverdale Vice-Mayor Todd Lands

  • Cloverdale Councilmember Andres Marquez

  • Cloverdale Councilmember Marjorie Morgenstern

  • Cloverdale Councilmember Mark Laskey

  • Former Cloverdale Mayor Marta Cruz

  • Healdsburg Mayor Chris Herrod

  • Healdsburg Vice-Mayor Ron Edwards

  • Healdsburg Councilmember Evelyn Mitchel

  • Windsor Vice-Mayor Tanya Potter

  • Windsor Councilmember Sam Salmon

Bay Area Leaders

  • Contra Costa County Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston

  • Napa County Supervisor Belia Ramos

  • Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown

  • Solano County Supervisor Wanda Williams

  • Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James

  • Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim

  • American Canyon Mayor Pierre Washington

  • Former American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia

  • Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce

  • Berkeley City Councilmember Igor Tregub

  • Emeryville City Councilmember Kalimah Priforce

  • Suisun City Councilmember Parise Shepherd

Education Leaders

  • Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Amie Carter

  • Sonoma County Board of Education Vice Chair Herman G. Hernandez

  • Sonoma County Board of Education Trustee Mary Watts

  • College of Marin Board of Trustees Member Paul da Silva

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees President Ezrah Chaaban

  • Santa Rosa Junior College President Emeritus Frank Chong

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees Member Andre Bailey

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees Member Dorothy Battenfeld

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees Member Mariana Martinez

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees Member Maggie Fishman

  • Tamalpais Union High School District Board Trustee Ida Times-Green

  • Santa Rosa City Schools Board Member Omar Medina

  • Former Santa Rosa City Schools Board Member Alegria De La Cruz

  • Former Santa Rosa City Schools Board Member Ed Sheffield

  • Former Santa Rosa City Schools Board Member Stephanie Manieri

  • Petaluma City Schools Board Trustee Joanna Paun

  • Petaluma City Schools Board Trustee Caitlin Quinn

  • Petaluma City Schools Board Trustee Ellen Webster

  • Roseland Public Schools District Board President Ana Diaz-Garcia

  • Roseland Public Schools District Trustee Anthony Mendoza

Community Leaders

  • Aqus Community Foundation Executive Director John Crowley

  • Business Consultant & 2024 Candidate for Vallejo Mayor Ravi Shankar

  • Former California Democratic Party Regional Director Debra Brone

  • California Democratic Party Delegate Jeremy Newton

  • California Young Democrats North Coast Regional Director Miles Dillingham

  • Former California Young Democrats North Coast Regional Director Brendan Sweeney

  • California Young Democrats North Coast Deputy Regional Director Eric Vazquez-Izaguirre

  • Community Equity Foundation Founder Rubin Scott

  • Community Leader Anna Shields

  • Community Leader Michael Stanford

  • Community Leader Sage Kelly-Cusimano

  • Marin City St. Andrew Presbyterian Church Rev. Floyd Thompkins

  • Marin Educators for Student Success Chair Mary Krause

  • National Education Association CTA District 2 Director Ever Flores

  • Organization Leader Carl Tennenbaum

  • Former Petaluma People Services Center Executive Director Elece Hempel

  • Petaluma Regional Library Advisory Board Chair Robin Riley

  • Former Chair, Tech Advisory Committee, City of Petaluma Jason Davies

  • Play Marin Founder & CEO Paul Austin

  • Rohnert Park Planning Commissioner Tramaine Austin-Dillon

  • Roots of Peace Founder & CEO Heidi Kühn

  • Santa Rosa City Schools Librarian Lisa McKee

  • Santa Rosa Junior College Climate and Wildlife Resilience Professor Chris Grabill

  • Santa Rosa Teachers Association President Kathryn Howell

  • Sonoma County Commission on Human Right Commissioner Lyndsey Burcina

  • Former Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Trevor Merrell

  • Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women Commissioner Letitia Hanke

  • Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women Vice Chair Melanie Jones-Carter

  • Sonoma County Museum Executive Director Karen Wise

  • Community Environmental Leader Larry Minikes

  • The Climate Center Program Director Woody Hastings

  • Wine Country Young Democrats President Delevan Hill

  • Former Wine Country Young Democrats President Elizabeth Escalante

  • Former Wine Country Young Democrats President Jexi Mondragon

  • Wine Country Young Democrats Vice President Paul Matheney

  • Wine Country Young Democrats Executive Board Member Aidan Anderson-Bowen

  • Young Democrats of America LGBTQ+ Caucus Vice-Chair Annie Koruga

FAQ

  • What is Jackie Elward running for?

    • Jackie Elward is running for California State Assembly, District 12

  • Where is Jackie Elward’s district?

    • California Assembly District 12 includes parts of Marin County and southern Sonoma County, including the cities of San Rafeal, Petaluma, and Santa Rosa

  • What are Jackie Elward’s priorities?

    • Affordability: Closing corporate tax loopholes, raising living-wage standards, capping utility rate hikes, and expanding local renewable energy.

    • Wildfire and climate: Home-hardening incentives, dedicated wildfire mitigation financing, and the North Bay’s share of the Climate Bond.

    • Housing and homelessness: Local housing solutions, tenant protections, workforce housing, and continued Project Homekey funding.

    • Education: Protecting school funding, free community college, and helping Sonoma State University recover.

    • Healthcare: Universal single-payer healthcare and reproductive rights protections.

    • Federal pushback: Jackie will restrict ICE activity in schools and hospitals, protect DACA recipients, and fund state lawsuits against the Trump administration.

    • Other: Supporting family farms, small businesses, working families, and public safety.

  • What are Jackie Elward’s qualifications?

    • In 2020, Jackie became the first Black woman elected to the Rohnert Park City Council. She has also served as mayor.

    • Jackie’s council record includes regional climate and environmental justice plans, wildfire prevention investments, expanded mental health crisis response (SAFE Teams), police accountability measures, and balanced budgets.

    • In 2022, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry named Jackie “Woman of the Year” for the 4th Assembly District.

    • Director of the Sonoma County Continuum of Care, which oversees homelessness services

    • Alternate on the Sonoma County Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority

    • Member of the Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association of Sonoma County

    • Member of the Bay Area delegation to the 2022 UN Climate Conference (COP27)