About Jackie Elward

I have exciting news! I am running for State Senate in the 3rd District, which includes all or portions of Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.

As a City Councilwoman and former Mayor of Rohnert Park, I have found ways to bring the community together around affordable housing, solutions to help the unhoused, and investments in transportation, sustainable agriculture, and our clean energy future.

As an educator and labor organizer from a labor family, I have been an integral part of the struggle to build pathways to the middle class and expand access to fair wages and benefits.

As a first generation immigrant, I have an appreciation for this community that welcomed me and strive to govern with the same compassion that I was afforded when I made Rohnert Park my new home.

My life’s work has prepared me for this moment. I'm ready to fight for the entire district - every county, every resident. Our region needs a champion for the people in the State Senate, and with your help, I am ready for the task.

My priorities:

  • Invest in our schools
  • Expand access to affordable homes, with a special focus on housing for teachers and nurses
  • Treat homelessness like the crisis it is
  • Expand access to affordable mental health crisis centers and services
  • Take the threat of climate change seriously and prepare for wildfires and rising sea levels
  • Stand up for working families - be a champion for labor

My background:

  • Rohnert Park City Councilwoman and Former Mayor
  • Director, Sonoma Clean Power (responsible for community choice clean energy in Sonoma County)
  • Director, Sonoma County Continuum of Care (responsible for homelessness services in Sonoma County)
  • Member, Executive Board of North Bay Jobs with Justice
  • Member, Sonoma County Democratic Party Executive Committee
  • A Leader in the campaign to pass Measure B in Rohnert Park, establishing an urban limit to prevent sprawl and protect open space and agriculture
  • Former Member, Santa Rosa FACS School Advisory Board
  • Site Representative, California School Employees Association Local Union 75
  • Volunteer, Redwood Empire Food Bank
  • Serve on:
    • Sonoma County Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority
    • Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency
  • BS in Sociology from Chico State University, BS in Criminal Justice from Central State University
  • Fluent in five languages
  • Lives with her husband John, a labor organizer, and their three wonderful children in Rohnert Park