Chris Holden (born July 19, 1960) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

serving in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Ass ...

. He is a Democrat representing the 41st Assembly District, which encompasses the northern

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...

, and is centered in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. He is a member of the

California Legislative Black Caucus The California Legislative Black Caucus, also known as the CLBC, is a California political organization composed of African Americans elected to the California State Legislature. Priorities The California Legislative Black Caucus represents and a ...

. Prior to his election to the Assembly in 2012, Holden was a

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

and City Councilmember in

. He is the son of longtime

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

politician

Nate Holden Nathaniel N. "Nate" Holden (born June 19, 1929) is a Los Angeles County politician who served four years in the California State Senate and 16 years on the Los Angeles City Council. Biography Upbringing, education and family Holden was born in M ...

. Holden currently serves as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the most powerful position after Speaker.

History

Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Holden was a member of the

City Council, and a former Mayor of the city, serving from 1997 to 1999. He is the second longest-serving city council member in the city's history, having served since 1989. Holden is an alumnus of Pasadena High School and

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

. He first ran for seat 3 of the Pasadena City Council in 1985, but lost narrowly to incumbent Loretta Thompson-Glickman. He was elected four years later, and was appointed Mayor in 1997. During his term, the City charter was revised to allow for open election of the mayor. However, in the first citywide mayoral election, Holden was defeated by former Councilmember and former Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. Holden previously served as the Assembly Majority Floor Leader.

Electoral history

2014 California State Assembly

In 2014, Holden was reelected to the Assembly with 59% of the vote. Nathaniel Tsai, the 18-year-old challenger to Holden, finished with 41% of the vote.

2016 California State Assembly

2018 California State Assembly

2020 California State Assembly

Legislation

In his first term, Holden introduced legislation to require California schools to teach about the significance of the

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

presidency. He introduced legislation to tackle the problem of grease thievery at restaurants. He also introduced legislation to study and foster economic development and job creation. Holden also has been a leader in the legislation to address California's wildfire crisis. He passed into law successful legislation on the topic, and was a lead negotiator during the process.

References

External links

* —''41st State Assembly district''
Campaign website

Join California - Chris Holden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Christopher 1960 births African-American state legislators in California California city council members Living people Mayors of Pasadena, California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly San Diego State University alumni 21st-century American politicians Pasadena High School (California) alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people African-American mayors in California