Ellen Marie Corbett (December 31, 1954 – August 9, 2024) was an American Democratic politician from the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. She served in 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. ...

, representing the 10th District, which included

San Leandro San Leandro (Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the south ...

, Hayward, Pleasanton, Union City, Fremont, Newark,

Milpitas Milpitas (Spanish for or little cornfields) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, part of Silicon Valley and the broader San Francisco Bay Area. Located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, it is bordered by San Jose to the south, ...

, and part of San Jose. She was the Senate Majority Leader. Ellen Corbett was elected to 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 ...

in the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, and served there until 2004, when she was

termed out A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, wher ...

. Previously, she served on the San Leandro

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 was the first woman in the city's history directly elected as Mayor, serving as Mayor of San Leandro from 1994 to 1998. Corbett has also worked as an attorney, community college professor and civic activist. In 2016, Corbett was elected as a board member of the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a Special-purpose district, special district operating in Alameda County, California, Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay (California), East Bay area of the San Fra ...

. Corbett attended Chabot Community College and

California State University, East Bay California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay, CSU East Bay, or CSUEB) is a public university in Hayward, California. The university is part of the California State University system and offers 136 undergraduate and 60 post-baccala ...

, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

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 ...

degree from McGeorge Law School.

Senate 10th District

The 10th District encompasses the southern part of the

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

, located directly south of California's 9th State Senate district. As such, it includes the southern half of

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...

and a portion of

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County form the ...

2011 redistricting

After redistricting in 2011 by the

California Citizens Redistricting Commission The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is the redistricting commission for the California, State of California responsible for determining the boundaries of districts for the California State Senate, State Senate, California State Asse ...

, the new 10th district now includes 40.7% of Alameda County and 17.4% of Santa Clara County. Cities in the district include Fremont, Hayward, Milpitas, and Santa Clara. The new boundaries took effect for the 2014 election for the district, in which Corbett was ineligible to run in due to term limits.

2014 US Congressional elections

Corbett termed out of the State Senate seat in 2014. In February 2013, addressing the possibility of her running for

Eric Swalwell Eric Michael Swalwell ( ; born November 16, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative from California's 14th congressional district since 2023, having previously represented the 15th district from 2013 to 202 ...

's seat in the US House of Representatives 15th congressional district, Corbett said "I would be honored to serve in he United StatesCongress, but it’s too early to discuss 2014." After the 2013 legislative session, Corbett began campaigning against Swalwell, with the support of

Pete Stark Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark Jr. (November 11, 1931 – January 24, 2020) was an American businessman and politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 2013. A Democrat from California, Stark's district ...

, whom Swalwell defeated in 2012. However, she finished in third place, missing a general election slot by 0.5% to Republican Hugh Bussell, a technology manager/educator from Livermore. Swalwell lead the primary with almost 50 percent of the vote, winning nearly 70 percent against Bussell in the November general election.

Legislative positions

Corbett passed legislation to provide students with more information on student loan options, provide safeguards for car purchasers, and protect California homeowners who suffered during the nationwide

housing crisis An affordable housing crisis or housing crisis is either a widespread housing shortage in places where people want to live or a financial crisis in the housing market. Housing crises can contribute to homelessness and housing insecurity. They are ...

. She received an 87% rating from

Clean Water Action Clean Water Action is an American environmental advocacy group. Created in 1972, the group focuses on canvassing and gaining support for political issues and candidates. It is a 501(c)(4) organization and is based in Washington, D.C. History The ...

California in 2012, and a 99% lifetime rating from the

California League of Conservation Voters California Environmental Voters (also called EnviroVoters), formerly the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV), is a lobbying and educational organization which focuses on environmental issues affecting California. It is affiliated wi ...

. Corbett publicly advocated for restoring of full funding to the

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income persons to help them maintai ...

in the 2012 U.S. Farm Bill, which had proposed cuts to the program.

Legislative honors

In 2008, Corbett was named one of the Top 100 Attorneys in California and an Outstanding Legislator by the California State Sheriff’s Association. She received honors from the

California Labor Federation The California Labor Federation is a federation of labor unions in the U.S. state of California. It is an affiliate of the AFL–CIO. Founded in 1901 as the California State Federation of Labor, the CLF has grown to encompass over 1,300 unions ...

, the

Consumer Federation of California The Consumer Federation of California (CFC) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1960. CFC campaigns for state and federal laws and appears at the California state legislature in support of consumer-focused regulations. The Con ...

, the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

, the California Congress of Seniors, the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

of California, the

Environmental Working Group The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an American activist group that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants, and corporate accountability. EWG is a 501(c)( ...

, the California League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action California, and the

Hindu American Foundation The Hindu American Foundation ( ) is an American Hindu non-profit advocacy group founded in 2003. The organisation has its roots in the Hindu nationalist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad America and its student wing Hindu Students Council ...

Personal life and death

Corbett lived in

San Leandro, California San Leandro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Leander of Seville, St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland, California, Oakland to the northwe ...

, and died August 9, 2024, at the age of 69.

References

External links

Corbett at the Maplight.org campaign finance website

Corbett at the Votesmart.org website

Join California Ellen Corbett
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Ellen 1954 births 2024 deaths American women lawyers Women mayors of places in California Lawyers from Oakland, California Democratic Party California state senators California State University, East Bay alumni Educators from California Mayors of places in California People from San Leandro, California McGeorge School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Politicians from Oakland, California University of California, Davis alumni Women state legislators in California People from Hayward, California San Francisco Bay Area politicians 21st-century American women politicians Chabot College faculty American women academics 21st-century members of the California State Legislature