State assemblywoman returns to Sacramento for another term

By Stephanie Bertholdo
bertholdo@theacorn.com

Democrats held their majority position in Sacramento following Tuesday’s election and among the party incumbents returning to office was state Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Woodland Hills).

Pavley won her third term in the 41st District, earning 60 percent of the vote compared to 35.5 percent for Republican challenger Heather Peters, a Santa Monica resident. Libertarian Richard Koffler took the remaining 4.5 percent.

Pavley’s district represents 423,000 residents in the cities of Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Oak Park, Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Encino, Tarzana, Topanga, Port Hueneme and portions of Westlake Village and Oxnard.

"I’m looking forward to serving the people in the 41st Assembly District for the next two years," Pavley said. "I’m real excited and enthusiastic about getting back to Sacramento and working cooperatively with other legislators to move this great state forward."

Pavley said she was particularly grateful to Agoura Hills, whose residents have voted for her in 10 elections, starting in 1982, when she ran as the first mayor of the newly incorporated city. She went on to serve Agoura Hills as mayor for a total of four terms.

Local residents were extended a personal invitation by Pavley to visit her in Sacramento, where she’ll arrange a VIP tour of the newly renovated city and facilities.

Pavley is known as a staunch supporter of environmental and education issues. She authored or co-authored 49 bills over the past two years, 30 of which have been signed into law. Although air and water quality issues have been high priorities, Pavley has worked on many others, including renewable energy incentives, domestic violence protections, children’s safety, park-and-ride lot incentives and more.

Pavley also created legislation to protect people from hate crimes, identity theft and telemarketing scams. She’d like school districts to gain more local control, and she wrote a bill to protect community college funding and co-sponsored bills to support police officers and firefighters. Healthcare is also a top priority, she said.

Pavley said the most important priority for California is the economy.

She supported Proposition 72, the healthcare referendum which would have mandated that businesses with 200 or more employees provide health insurance. After a tight race, the measure was voted down 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent.

In other election news, Los Angeles County’s Measure A, which would have increased sales tax by one-half cent to 8.75 percent, won the popular vote with 59.6 percent, but was defeated because it fell short of a required two-thirds majority. It would have funded a variety of public safety services, equipment and facilities.