(SACRAMENTO) - Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) took the oath of office to serve as the Assemblymember for the 15th Assembly District today in a special ceremony at the California State Capitol. The oath was administered by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. The 15th Assembly district incorporates the communities in and around North Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, Richmond, Kensington, El Cerrito, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Giant, Pinole and Hercules.
“I am deeply honored to represent the 15th Assembly District in Sacramento,” said Buffy. “AD15 is an incredibly diverse and progressive community and I am committed to delivering on our shared priorities: tackling our housing crisis with smart policy that will support all East Bay residents, bringing more funding to our public schools, confronting homelessness, fighting for healthcare for all and leading the nation with bold environmental policies.”
Buffy Wicks is a grassroots organizer with over twenty years of experience bringing communities together to create change. She was one of the architect’s of President Obama’s grassroots organizing efforts. She also President Obama in the White House including helping to lead the fight for health care reform. Prior to her work with President Obama, Buffy fought for better wages for Walmart workers and led protests against the Iraq War. Prior to running for office, she championed an effort to organize parents across California, advocating for better policies for California’s children. She lives in Oakland with her husband Peter (a gun violence prevention advocate who leads Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, the organization founded by Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly) and her daughter Josephine (“Jojo”).
Buffy won a decisive victory in the 2018 15th Assembly District race with an extraordinary organizing campaign.The campaign began its house party program in July 2017, and by Election Day hosted 239 ‘listen seasons’ in living rooms across the district. Through these conversations, Buffy developed and communicated a vision focused on attacking the housing shortage and homelessness crisis head-on, addressing regional transportation and transit challenges, increasing funding public schools, supporting universal pre-k and affordable childcare, and preventing gun violence.