Bonnie Lowenthal
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Lowenthal is a Democratic Assembly Member representing California's 54th State Assembly district
. She was elected to that post in 2008 and re-elected in 2010. Lowenthal also served on the Long Beach
City Council
prior to her service in the Assembly
.
, Palos Verdes Estates
, Rancho Palos Verdes
, Rolling Hills
, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Signal Hill
and over half of the city of Long Beach
. Her district contains the majority of the Port of Long Beach
and the Port of Los Angeles
.
Primary jurisdictions are Transit Authority, California Highway Patrol, vehicles, aircraft, and vessels; operation, licensing and registration, and drivers licenses.
Select Committee on Ports (chairing)
Accountability and Administrative Review (member)
Primary jurisdictions are identifying savings and efficiencies in the management of state government, reviewing and studying the implementation, operation, and effectiveness of state programs and agencies.
Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (member)
Primary jurisdictions are toxic substances and hazardous materials, hazardous waste regulation, drinking water regulation, and pesticides (processed food safety and public health protection).
Health (member)
Primary jurisdictions are health care, Medi-Cal, mental health licensing of health and health-related professionals, and long term health care facilities.
, in 2001, and was selected to serve as Vice Mayor in 2006. Lowenthal also served on the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education for seven years and was a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(MTA), as well as many community boards and committees.
As a Councilmember, Lowenthal was honored with:
-- who was also one of her predecessors in her current Assembly seat. They are the first divorced couple to serve concurrently in the legislature.
California's 54th State Assembly district
California's 54th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Bonnie Lowenthal of Long Beach.-District profile:...
. She was elected to that post in 2008 and re-elected in 2010. Lowenthal also served on the Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
prior to her service in the Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
.
54th Assembly District
Assemblymember Lowenthal represents AvalonAvalon, California
Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only incorporated city on Santa Catalina Island of the California Channel Islands, and the southernmost city in Los Angeles County. Besides Avalon, the only other center of population on the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors...
, Palos Verdes Estates
Palos Verdes Estates, California
Palos Verdes Estates is a city, incorporated in 1939, in Los Angeles County, California, USA on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The city was masterplanned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. The population was 13,438 at the 2010 census, up from 13,340 in the...
, Rancho Palos Verdes
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Rancho Palos Verdes is a city in Los Angeles County, California that was incorporated on September 7, 1973. The population was 41,643 at the 2010 census...
, Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills, California
Rolling Hills is a city in the Palos Verdes Hills, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,860, down from 1,871 at the 2000 census...
, Rolling Hills Estates, San Pedro, Signal Hill
Signal Hill, California
Signal Hill is a small city in California located in the Greater Los Angeles area. Signal Hill, completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach, was incorporated on April 22, 1924, roughly three years after oil was discovered in Signal Hill. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
and over half of the city of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Her district contains the majority of the Port of Long Beach
Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
and the Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
.
Committees
Transportation (chairing)Primary jurisdictions are Transit Authority, California Highway Patrol, vehicles, aircraft, and vessels; operation, licensing and registration, and drivers licenses.
Select Committee on Ports (chairing)
Accountability and Administrative Review (member)
Primary jurisdictions are identifying savings and efficiencies in the management of state government, reviewing and studying the implementation, operation, and effectiveness of state programs and agencies.
Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (member)
Primary jurisdictions are toxic substances and hazardous materials, hazardous waste regulation, drinking water regulation, and pesticides (processed food safety and public health protection).
Health (member)
Primary jurisdictions are health care, Medi-Cal, mental health licensing of health and health-related professionals, and long term health care facilities.
Legislative Accomplishments
Lowenthal has authored several bills that have been signed and adopted into law since arriving in the Assembly. Most notable are her bills that deal with job creation, government reform, health, public safety and the environment. Specific bills signed into law include AB 361: Workers Compensation Preauthorization Denials, which prohibits an insurance company that provides workers’ compensation coverage from rescinding or modifying and authorization for medical services after the services are rendered. This bill states that if a company tells a doctor to provide services, then it has to pay for those services; AB 2098 (Miller/Lowenthal): Riverside County Transportation Commission, which clears away legal hurdles to a design-build improvement project on the Riverside (91) Freeway. The project, funded entirely without state general fund money, promises 18,000 jobs throughout the region; AB 1749: Whistleblower Protection; which gives employees of the Judicial Branch of the State the same level of protection against retaliation for reporting wrongdoing as is currently afforded to other employees of the state bureaucracy; AB 2199: Repeal of Discriminatory Language, which strikes out a provision in the California Welfare and Institutions code that requires mental health officials to find the “causes and cures of homosexuality.” That law was written in 1950 and AB 2199 strips that discriminatory language from the books; AB 2435: MFT Elder Abuse Training, recognizes that Mental health care providers are key to stopping elder and dependent adult abuse and helping families in crisis. This bill requires MFTs, psychologists, LCSWs, and Licensed Professional Clinical Counsellors to have training in the recognition and reporting of suspected elder and dependent adult abuse.Current Legislation
Lowenthal's current legislation is a mix containing transportation, health and government reform bills including; AB 312: Violence Against the Homeless, which recognizes that Violence against the homeless has substantially risen over the past decade. This bill would specify that a homeless person has the civil right to be free from violence or intimidation, and, most importantly, it would state that if they are attacked simply for being homeless, they would be able to sue their aggressor for enhanced civil damages. It would shift the cost of protecting the homeless onto the backs of those who would seek to harm them; AB 739: Mental Health Curriculum, which would require the State Board of Education to include suicide prevention instruction as part of health education for grades 7 through 12; AB 960: Electronic Waste, which would require electronic waste recyclers to take other electronic waste and devices in addition to the covered products.Pre Assembly Political Career
Prior to her service in the Assembly, Lowenthal was elected to represent the First Council District of the City of Long BeachLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, in 2001, and was selected to serve as Vice Mayor in 2006. Lowenthal also served on the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education for seven years and was a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
(MTA), as well as many community boards and committees.
As a Councilmember, Lowenthal was honored with:
- CentroCHA’s Education Award for her longstanding efforts on behalf of the Hispanic community;
- The Interfaith Community Organization’s Housing Hero Award in recognition of her advocacy on behalf of those in need of housing.
- The Environmental Hero Award by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Long Beach Organic;
- The Women of Distinction award from Soroptimist International; and
- The Excellence Through Leadership Award from ILWU Local 13, among others.
Background
Assemblymember Lowenthal received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin (class of 1961) and a Master’s of Science in Community and Clinical Psychology from Cal State Long Beach (class of 1974). Since 1975, Lowenthal has been a licensed family counselor and mental health consultant. She has also served as a bilingual mental health consultant for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), HeadStart, and the Centro de la Raza,Personal
Assemblymember Lowenthal was previously married to California State Senator Alan LowenthalAlan Lowenthal
Alan S. Lowenthal has been a Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing the 27th District since 2004. He previously served in the California State Assembly representing the 55th Assembly district from 1998 until 2004...
-- who was also one of her predecessors in her current Assembly seat. They are the first divorced couple to serve concurrently in the legislature.