Benjamin J. "Ben" Allen (born March 13, 1978) is an American attorney and politician who has served as a member of the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

from the 24th district since 2022, having previously represented the 26th district from 2014 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as University of California Student Regent and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District school board member.

Personal life and education

Allen was born and raised in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. After graduating from

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to Samohi or SMHS, is a public high school in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Bo ...

, he received a

bachelor of arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 2000, a

master of philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 2001, and a

juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 2008. He worked for New York Rep. José E. Serrano for two years and was admitted to the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is an administrative division of the Supreme Court of California which licenses attorneys and regulates the practice of law in California. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law ...

in 2008. As of 2019, Allen is a private attorney and lecturer in law at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. He lives in Santa Monica.

Political career

As a student at UC Berkeley, Allen served as a University of California student regent from 2007 to 2008. He served on the Santa Monica–Malibu Board of Education from 2008 until his election to the California State Senate in 2014, serving as president of the board from 2012 to 2013. He also chaired the Los Angeles County Committee on School Board Organization.

California State Senate

Allen announced his candidacy for the redrawn 26th district in February 2014. His major opponents in the primary included Manhattan Beach Mayor Amy Howorth, former Assemblymember Betsy Butler, and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

attorney

Sandra Fluke Sandra Kay Fluke (, born April 17, 1981) is an American lawyer, women's rights activist, and representative to the Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley. She first came to public attention when, in February 2012, Republican Party (United State ...

. After finishing in first place in the June 2014 primary election, he defeated Sandra Fluke in the November 2014 general election by a wide margin. Allen successfully defended his seat four years later. He secured 77 percent of the vote in the June 2018 primary, defeating Baron Bruno, an unaffiliated realtor, and Mark Matthew Herd,

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

candidate and Westwood neighborhood councilman. In the November 2018 primary election, Allen defeated Bruno again, winning by a margin of 54.4 percent. His term will end on December 1, 2026.

References

External links

*
2014 campaign website

Join California Ben Allen
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Ben Democratic Party California state senators Jewish state legislators in California 1978 births Living people Politicians from Santa Monica, California School board members in California Harvard University alumni UC Berkeley School of Law alumni University of California regents UCLA School of Law faculty 21st-century American Jews 21st-century members of the California State Legislature