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Dawn Addis

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Dawn Addis
Official portrait, 2022
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 5, 2022
Preceded byRobert Rivas (redistricting)
Personal details
Born (1972-07-12) July 12, 1972 (age 54)
San Francisco, California
PartyDemocratic
SpouseMarcus
Children2
EducationSan Francisco State University (BA, MS)Teaching credentials in elementary education, secondary education, and special education

Dawn Junea Addis (born July 12, 1972)[1] is an American educator, activist, and politician serving as a member of the California State Assembly for the 30th district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on December 5, 2022, and was re-elected in 2024. Addis was the first Democrat from San Luis Obispo County elected to the California State Assembly since 1922[2], and the first woman to represent the 30th district. She is Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health[3], Co-chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus[4].

Education

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Addis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education and Spanish and a Master of Arts in special education from San Francisco State University.[5] She holds teaching credentials in elementary education, secondary education, and special education.

Career

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Addis worked as an educator in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District for 20 years, teaching special education and serving as an English learner intervention specialist at schools including Morro Elementary, Pacific Beach Elementary, San Luis Obispo High School, Pacheco Elementary, and Laguna Middle School. She served on the executive board of the San Luis Coastal Teachers Association.

In 2016, she co-founded the San Luis Obispo chapter of the Women's March, which drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 people at its inaugural march in 2017. She also served as a board member for the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.

She was elected to the Morro Bay City Council in 2018 and served from 2019 to 2022, including as mayor pro tempore from 2019 to 2021.

In 2020, Addis ran for the California State Assembly against incumbent Republican Jordan Cunningham in Assembly District 35, which included all of San Luis Obispo County as well as voters in northern Santa Barbara County. Cunningham won with 55% of the vote to Addis's 45%.[6]

In 2022, following the California Citizens Redistricting Commission's post-census redistricting, Assembly District 30 was redrawn to include parts of San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties, Cunningham did not seek re-election.[7] In the June 7, 2022 primary, Addis received 42% of the vote, followed by Vicki Nohrden with 35%, Jon Wizard with 11%, Zoë Carter with 9%, and John R. Drake with 4%.[8] Addis defeated Nohrden in the November 8, 2022 general election, receiving 61% of the vote to Nohrden's 39%.[9]

Addis was re-elected in 2024, defeating Republican Dalila Epperson with 62.4% of the vote.[10] In the June 2, 2026 primary, Addis received 53.1% of the vote, followed by Republican Shannon Kessler with 38.1% and Democrat Susannah Brown with 8.8%. Addis and Kessler advanced to the November 3, 2026 general election.[11]

Tenure

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In the California State Assembly, Addis serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health, which oversees eight state departments and approximately $175 billion in state healthcare spending. She served as Assistant Majority Leader for Policy and Research[12] and is a member of the Assembly's Budget, Health, Business and Professions, and Insurance standing committees.

Addis is the co-founder and co-chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, a bi-cameral caucus formed to coordinate legislative work across both chambers of the state legislature on issues affecting the Central Coast region. She also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Serving Students with Disabilities[13].

Addis was appointed by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas as the Assembly's designee to the Ocean Protection Council[14]. She also serves as a member of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, and has been appointed to state working groups on the Public Liability, Diablo Canyon Power Plant, and Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024.

Legislation

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Addis has authored legislation addressing housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection, education, and survivor rights. Her signed legislation includes:

  • Assembly Bill 358 (2023), the California Community College Housing Act, which streamlined approval processes for community college student housing.[15]
  • Assembly Bill 452 (2023), the Justice for Survivors Act, which ended the civil statute of limitations for civil actions related to childhood sexual abuse.[16]
  • Assembly Bill 370 (2023), the Biliteracy Advancement Act, which supported multilingual learner education programs in California schools.
  • Assembly Bill 2173 (2024), the Reducing Stigma in Education Act, which replaced the term "emotional disturbance" with "emotional disability" in California education code.
  • Assembly Bill 2197 (2024), the Protect Our Coast and Oceans Act.
  • Assembly Bill 3233 (2024), which restored local government authority over oil and gas operations, effectively reinstating the intent of Monterey County's Measure Z.[17]
  • Assembly Bill 1288 (2024), addressing environmental health workforce modernization.
  • Assembly Bill 1008 (2024), authorizing 10 additional liquor licenses for San Luis Obispo County.

Awards and recognition

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During her time in the Assembly, Addis has received recognition from a range of California advocacy organizations and professional associations, including:

She holds a 0% rating from the National Rifle Association (2024).

Electoral history

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Morro Bay City Council

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2018 Morro Bay City Council election[20]
Candidate Votes %
Dawn Addis 3,062 30.4
Jeff Heller 2,202 21.9
Betty Winholtz 2,163 21.5
Jan Goldman 1,794 17.8
Jesse Barron 844 8.4
Total votes 10,065 100.0

California State Assembly

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2020 California State Assembly 35th district election[21][22]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jordan Cunningham (incumbent) 85,029 56.8
Democratic Dawn Addis 64,548 43.2
Total votes 149,577 100.0
General election
Republican Jordan Cunningham (incumbent) 126,579 55.1
Democratic Dawn Addis 103,206 44.9
Total votes 229,785 100.0
Republican hold
2022 California State Assembly 30th district election[23][24]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Addis 54,924 40.8
Republican Vicki Nohrden 49,287 36.6
Democratic Jon Wizard 14,090 10.5
Democratic Zoë G. Carter 11,584 8.6
Democratic John R. Drake 4,695 3.5
Total votes 134,580 100.0
General election
Democratic Dawn Addis 115,770 60.0
Republican Vicki Nohrden 77,079 40.0
Total votes 192,849 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
2024 California State Assembly 30th district election[25][26]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Addis (incumbent) 88,090 62.9
Republican Dalila Epperson 52,036 37.1
Total votes 140,126 100.0
General election
Democratic Dawn Addis (incumbent) 148,758 62.4
Republican Dalila Epperson 89,570 37.6
Total votes 238,328 100.0
Democratic hold
2026 California State Assembly 30th district election[27]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dawn Addis (incumbent) 37,630 53.1
Republican Shannon Kessler 26,953 38.1
Democratic Susannah Brown 6,251 8.8
Total votes 70,834 100.0
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ↑ Parker, Sue (March 2023). "The Assembly List of MEMBERS, OFFICERS, COMMITTEES AND THE RULES" (PDF). California State Assembly.
  2. ↑ "Will Independent Voters Deliver Dawn Addis a Third Assembly Term in California's Central Coast?". Independent Voter News. 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  3. ↑ "Subcommittee No. 1 on Health | California State Assembly". abgt.assembly.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. ↑ "California Legislative Central Coast Caucus | California State Assembly". centralcoastcaucus.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  5. ↑ "Dawn Addis". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  6. ↑ Worsham, Katherine (2020-11-10). "Cunningham thanks 35th District voters for re-election to State Assembly". KSBY News. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  7. ↑ "Redistricting in California after the 2020 census". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  8. ↑ Schmalz, David (2022-06-07). "Dawn Addis of Morro Bay leads in the race for the newly drawn Assembly District 30". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  9. ↑ Rubin, Sara (2022-11-09). "Dawn Addis and Robert Rivas handily win seats representing parts of Monterey County in the California Assembly". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  10. ↑ "Statewide Election Results :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  11. ↑ "COUNTY AND DISTRICT RESULTS BY STATE". America Votes 31: 2013-2014, Election Returns by State. 2015. doi:10.4135/9781483383019.n8.
  12. ↑ Gillies, Andrew (2023-11-23). "Central Coast Assemblymember appointed to Assistant Majority Leader of Policy and Research". News Channel 3-12. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  13. ↑ "Addis Named Chair of Select Committees by Assembly Speaker | Official Website - Assemblymember Dawn Addis Representing the 30th California Assembly District". a30.asmdc.org. Archived from the original on 2025-11-19. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  14. ↑ "Biography | Official Website - Assemblymember Dawn Addis Representing the 30th California Assembly District". a30.asmdc.org. Archived from the original on 2026-01-14. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  15. ↑ "AB 358- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  16. ↑ "AB 452- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  17. ↑ "AB 3233- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  18. ↑ "Home". California Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  19. ↑ "Will Independent Voters Deliver Dawn Addis a Third Assembly Term in California's Central Coast?". Independent Voter News. 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  20. ↑ "ELECTION SUMMARY REPORT - NOVEMBER 6, 2018 CONSOLIDATED GENERAL ELECTION - COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO - FINAL OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS". San Luis Obispo County. November 30, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  21. ↑ "March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ "November 3, 2020, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 7, 2022" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  24. ↑ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022 - State Assembly" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  25. ↑ "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  26. ↑ "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  27. ↑ "State Assembly District 30 – Districtwide Results, 2026 Primary Election". Secretary of State of California. Retrieved [YOUR DATE]. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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