Holly Mitchell
Holly J. Mitchell (born September 7, 1964) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Holly Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district | |
| Assumed office December 6, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Ridley-Thomas |
| Chair of Los Angeles County | |
| In office December 7, 2021 – December 6, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Hilda Solis |
| Succeeded by | Janice Hahn |
| Chair pro tempore of Los Angeles County | |
| In office December 8, 2020 – December 7, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Hilda Solis |
| Succeeded by | Sheila Kuehl |
| Member of the California State Senate | |
| In office September 26, 2013 – December 6, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Curren Price |
| Succeeded by | Sydney Kamlager |
| Constituency | 26th district (2013–2014) 30th district (2014–2020) |
| Member of the California State Assembly | |
| In office December 6, 2010 – September 26, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Bass |
| Succeeded by | Sebastian Ridley-Thomas |
| Constituency | 47th district (2010–2012) 54th district (2012–2013) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 7, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Riverside (BA) |
A Democrat, Mitchell served as a State Senator for California's 30th senate district from 2013 to 2020, which is also part of Supervisorial District 2 and encompasses Culver City, Ladera Heights, Exposition Park, and parts of the Westmont, Florence, Crenshaw, Del Rey, Marina del Rey, Downtown Los Angeles. She previously represented the 26th Senate District after replacing then-Senator Curren Price in a 2013 special election. Prior to being elected to the State Senate, she served in the California State Assembly representing the 54th Assembly District.
Mitchell is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus. In 2016 Mitchell became the first African American to Chair the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, where she has overseen the passage and adoption of two consecutive state budgets.
Early career
Before working in the Legislature, she served for seven years as CEO of the nonprofit Crystal Stairs.[1] She also served as a Consultant to the Senate Health Committee, and as a legislative advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
California State Senate
In 2018, Mitchell was named vice chair of the Joint Legislative Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response, formed in response to the #MeToo movement and several instances where accusations had forced some lawmakers to resign. Mitchell was the first African-American to serve as Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, overseeing the passage of state budgets totaling over $200 billion.[2]
In 2019, Mitchell drafted and sponsored the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act (SB 188), a California law which prohibits discrimination based on hair style and hair texture by extending protection under the FEHA and the California Education Code. It is the first legislation passed at the state level in the United States to prohibit such discrimination. The Act passed unanimously in both chambers of the California Legislature by June 27, 2019, and was signed into law on July 3, 2019.[3] The law has since inspired similar laws across the country.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Mitchell faced Los Angeles City Councilmember Herb Wesson in the 2020 race for District 2 of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She defeated Wesson by a wide margin. Her election to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2020 marks the first time the board is composed entirely of women.[4] Mitchell generated controversy when she said, "Law enforcement and the District Attorneys Association and the Sheriffs’ Association, who just when you look at who represents them in Sacramento, is clearly such White supremacist organizations."[5]
References
- Swann, Jennifer (2020). "After a Decade in Sacramento, Holly Mitchell is Ready to Take on Los Angeles". theLAnd. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- "Short biography of LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell | LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell".
- "California becomes first state to ban discrimination against natural hair". CBS News. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Cosgrove, Jaclyn (November 5, 2020). "L.A. County makes history with all female Board of Supervisors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- Ruiz, Michael (March 31, 2021). "California Democrat suggests police, prosecutors and sheriffs groups are 'White supremacist organizations'". Fox News. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
