Few people are elected to the Legislature better prepared than Bonnie Lowenthal.

Lowenthal arrived in Sacramento with more than a decade and a half of public service, having spent two full terms on the Long Beach City Council, and, before that, two terms on the Long Beach Unified School Board.

That experience began paying off almost immediately, as Lowenthal quickly established herself as a confident, competent member with the personal skills to bring people together. She worked on bills with her Republican colleagues, but never diminished her credentials with environmental, consumer or equality advocates.

She was named Legislator of the Year by three separate groups: California Assisted Living Association, by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and by the California Chiropractic Association.

She spent her first year in office chairing the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, successfully passing laws that helped people in nursing homes, and protecting the safety net for older Californians.

By her second year, she was given the chair of the powerful Assembly Transportation Committee, a policy area that fit perfectly with her district and with her experience. In many ways, Lowenthal was the perfect choice for the Transportation Committee.

Lowenthal’s district includes both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, together the largest port complex in the nation. The sea ports link with one of the most advanced rail corridors in the state, and with the complex and crowded freeway system. Lowenthal’s district is the commerce and transportation heart of California. She had many years experience with port issues, and had previously served as the city and region’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

She also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Ports – again, a perfect fit with her experience and with the needs of her district.

Lowenthal has weighed in on goods movement, clean air programs, water quality issues and open government. She quickly emerged as a leading advocate for transparent government and institutional reform. She is working to beef up the law that protects government whistleblowers. In her first year in office, she authored seven laws.

Navigating some of the toughest financial troubles in state history, Lowenthal kept the cost of her bills down, and in fact managed to bring federal dollars to California in the form of food stamps for foster youth – money that not only helps vulnerable young people, but that also adds to the bottom line of California merchants.

Lowenthal was born and raised in Long Island New York. She holds a master’s degree in Community Clinical Psychology from California State University Long Beach. Long Beach is the city she chose to raise her two children, and where her two grandchildren also are being raised.