Christopher R. Holden (born July 19, 1960) is an American politician who served 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, Califor ...

from 2012 to 2024. He is a Democrat representing the 41st Assembly District, which encompasses the northern

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

, and is centered in Pasadena. He was a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus. 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

and City Councilmember in Pasadena. He is the son of longtime

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

politician

Nate Holden Nathan Nathaniel Holden (June 19, 1929 – May 7, 2025) was an American politician from Los Angeles County. He served for four years in the California State Senate and 16 years on the Los Angeles City Council. Biography Upbringing and family N ...

. Prior to his retirement, Holden served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the most powerful position after speaker.

History

Before he was elected to the assembly, Holden was a member of the Pasadena

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

, and a former mayor of the city, serving from 1997 to 1999. Holden 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 university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

. 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. Holden is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Electoral history

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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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