Hannah-Beth Jackson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the19th district | |
| In office December 3, 2012 – November 30, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Strickland |
| Succeeded by | Monique Limón |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the35th district | |
| In office December 7, 1998 - November 30, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Brooks Firestone |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Nava |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1950-05-19)May 19, 1950 (age 75) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | George Eskin |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Scripps College (BA) Boston University (JD) |
Hannah-Beth Jackson (born May 19, 1950) is an Americanpolitician who served in theCalifornia State Senate from 2012 to 2020. ADemocrat, she represented the19th Senate District, encompassingSanta Barbara County and most ofVentura County.
Jackson ran for the 19th Senate District in 2008 but narrowly lost toRepublicanTony Strickland.[1] After Strickland chose not to pursue reelection to the State Senate in 2012 in order to mount an unsuccessful run for theU.S. House of Representatives, Jackson was elected to succeed him. In 2016, she was reelected to a second term. Prior to her election to the State Senate, Jackson served in theCalifornia State Assembly from 1998 to 2004, representing the35th Assembly District.
Jackson served as Chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus from 2015 to 2016. She is also a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Jackson is a former prosecutor, the co-founder of two nonprofit organizations, and also served as an adjunct professor atAntioch University.
Jackson was born inBoston, Massachusetts, on May 19, 1950.[2] In 1971, Jackson received her bachelor of arts degree inGovernment andSociology fromScripps College inClaremont, California. In 1975, Jackson earned herJuris Doctor degree fromBoston University School of Law.[3][2]
Jackson has practiced law inSanta Barbara andVentura County for 20 years.[3]
Jackson served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. She also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and the Senate Public Safety Committee. Additionally, she served as chair of the California Legislative Women's Caucus.
On October 18, 2011, Jackson announced that she would run for the California State Senate's 19th District seat.[4] She was endorsed by theCalifornia Democratic Party, theSierra Club, theCalifornia Teachers Association,Service Employees International Union (SEIU) State Council, theCalifornia League of Conservation Voters, and theCalifornia Democratic Council, along with over 90 additional endorsements.[5][6] Jackson won thegeneral election on November 6, 2012, and took theoath of office on December 3.[7][8]
In 2013, Jackson introduced a bill allow 16-year-olds to pre-register to vote.[9] Senate Bill 113 was passed and signed into law in 2014, and took effect in 2017.[10] Now 16- and 17-year-olds in California can pre-register to vote online.
In 2015 theCalifornia Fair Pay Act, her equal pay bill, was signed into law. It is one of the toughest pay equity laws in the nation.[11] The law ensures that employees are not paid more for substantially similar work because of their gender.
In 2016Huffington Post named Jackson one of 11 women around the country "blazing new trails" in American politics.[12]
In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law her SB 63, the New Parent Leave Act, to provide 12 weeks of job-protected maternity and paternity leave for California employees who work for companies with 20 or more employees.
In 2018, Governor Brown signed into law her SB 826, which required gender diversity on California's corporate boards.[13]
In 2020, Jackson's SB 1383 to expand job protection for family leave to millions of Californians was signed into law by Governor Newsom.[14]
Jackson has received "Legislator of the Year" awards from a wide range of organizations, including theConsumer Federation of California, Congress of California Seniors,California League of Conservation Voters,Californians Against Waste,National Organization for Women, andJunior League of California. She is the recipient of theCalifornia Women Lawyers's annual Fay Stender Award.[15] She was named the "state Senator shifting California's workplace culture" byThe New York Times.[16]
Jackson is married to retired Santa Barbara CountySuperior Court Judge George Eskin. She has a daughter, Jennie, two stepchildren and six grandchildren.[3][2]