Jessica Caloza

Jessica Caloza
Member of the California State Assembly from the 52nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 2, 2024
Preceded by	Wendy Carrillo
Personal details
Residence(s)	Los Angeles, California
Education	University of California, San Diego

Jessica Caloza is an American politician who is a member of the California State Assembly for the 52nd District. Assembly District 52 includes South Glendale, East Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, Lincoln Heights, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Cypress Park, Elysian Valley, Monterey Hills, Hermon, Montecito Heights, El Sereno, Garvanza, and City Terrace. Assembly District 52 also includes Dodger Stadium, the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Occidental College, California State University, Los Angeles, and a number of parks.

A Democrat, she is the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature.

Early life and education

Caloza was born in Quezon City, Philippines, and immigrated to the United States as a child. She is the daughter of working-class parents and is a product of the public school system. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego and earned dual degrees in Political Science: International Relations and Ethnic Studies. Caloza was the first person in her family to graduate from college in the United States.

Career

Caloza is a longtime public servant and started her career working as a community organizer for President Barack Obama's campaign in Virginia. She went on to work as a policy advisor in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. After serving at the federal level, Caloza worked for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in the Office of Immigrant Affairs. In 2019, she was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to serve as a Commissioner on the Board of Public Works, which is the only full-time commission in the City of Los Angeles. She oversaw the Bureau of Engineering and the Bureau of Contract Administration and led critical infrastructure projects and neighborhood beautification initiatives like the Sixth Street Bridge and Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway. She also led initiatives to support small businesses and critical policies that expanded language access to make city services more accessible. After working at the local level, Caloza joined the California Department of Justice and served as the deputy chief of staff to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

California State Assembly

In July 2023, Caloza announced her campaign for the California State Assembly in the 52nd District to replace incumbent Wendy Carrillo, who ran for the Los Angeles City Council. In March 2024, in a crowded primary field of ten candidates, Caloza and Franky Carrillo advanced to the general election. In November 2024, Caloza won the general election, beating Carrillo—108,854 votes (66.92%) to her opponent's 53,805 (33.08%).

External links

• Los Angeles Department of Public Works profile