Loni Hancock
Encyclopedia
Loni Hancock is currently serving in her first term as the representative of California State Senate
District 9. The 9th Senate District currently includes Alameda
, Albany
, Berkeley
, Castro Valley
, Dublin
, El Sobrante
, Emeryville
, Livermore
, Oakland
, Piedmont
, Richmond
, and San Pablo
. She previously served as a member of the California State Assembly
, representing the 14th Assembly District from 2002 to 2008, and as the mayor of Berkeley, California
from 1986 to 1994. Hancock is a member of the Democratic Party. She has a B.A.
from Ithaca College
. Hancock has lived in Berkeley since 1964 and is married to Berkeley Mayor and former District 14 California State Assemblymember Tom Bates
. She has two children, two stepchildren from Bates' previous marriage, and seven grandchildren.
Hancock was the first woman to serve as the Mayor of Berkeley, California. Serving as mayor for two terms, she balanced seven straight city budgets, forged a historic agreement between the city and the University of California, began the revitalization of downtown Berkeley, led efforts to secure additional open space and launched a Bio-Tech Academy at Berkeley High School (in partnership with Bayer
). Hancock is married to current Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates
.
's Regional Director for ACTION
, overseeing a host of domestic volunteer programs including VISTA
, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. In 1994, Hancock left her position as mayor of Berkeley to serve in the administration of President Bill Clinton
. Hancock headed the Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education. Working with schools, communities, state and local governments, she helped launch many of Clinton's education initiatives.
. In 2007, the Governor signed legislation authored by Assemblywoman Hancock to greatly expand career technical education programs for high school students.
Hancock sat on the Assembly Committee on Rules and chaired the Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention, and was a member of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Housing and Community Development, the Budget Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. She worked in her committee positions to help expand health care programs for children, increase funding for foster youth programs and prevent cuts in Medi-Cal
stipends and proposed cuts to programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
Hancock is strongly committed to campaign finance reform
, and she authored AB 583, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, to provide full public financing for all statewide races in California. In June 2007, the bill passed the Assembly with 45 votes. AB 583 is currently making its way through the California State Senate
.
Hancock was the first state Assemblymember in California to launch a Web log, or "blog." The blog enables her to communicate directly with and receive input from her constituents on a variety of issues.
in the race for the Senate District 9 seat by a percentage of 56.5% to Chan's 43.5%. With heavily Democratic registration advantages in District 9, she was elected to the State Senate with 77.30%. Senator Hancock was sworn in to the State Senate on December 1, 2008.
Hancock currently chairs the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee and is a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Education Committee, the Environmental Quality Committee, the Food and Agriculture Committee, and the Public Safety Committee.
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District 9. The 9th Senate District currently includes Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, Albany
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Castro Valley
Castro Valley, California
Castro Valley is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, it is the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California, and the twenty-third in the United States...
, Dublin
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
, El Sobrante
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
, Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
, Livermore
Livermore, California
Livermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
, Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Piedmont
Piedmont, California
Piedmont is a small, affluent city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is surrounded by the city of Oakland. The population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907 and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s...
, Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, and San Pablo
San Pablo, California
San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city of Richmond surrounds nearly the whole city. The population was 29,139 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Paul V. Morris, and the current Vice Mayor is Cecilia Valdez. Current Councilmembers include Arturo M....
. She previously served as a member of the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
, representing the 14th Assembly District from 2002 to 2008, and as the mayor of Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
from 1986 to 1994. Hancock is a member of the Democratic Party. She has a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
. Hancock has lived in Berkeley since 1964 and is married to Berkeley Mayor and former District 14 California State Assemblymember Tom Bates
Tom Bates
Thomas H. Bates is an American politician and is currently serving as the Mayor of Berkeley, California. He previously served 20 years as a member of the California State Assembly before being termed out in 1996. Bates is married to Loni Hancock, a former mayor of Berkeley and State Assembly...
. She has two children, two stepchildren from Bates' previous marriage, and seven grandchildren.
City Council Member and Mayor
Hancock served Berkeley as a member of the city council from 1971 to 1979. One of Hancock's achievements as a member of the council was the preservation of the Berkeley marina from development. She helped conduct a study by a group of students from the University of California at Berkeley that showed that major development in the marina area would threaten the wildlife in the area.Hancock was the first woman to serve as the Mayor of Berkeley, California. Serving as mayor for two terms, she balanced seven straight city budgets, forged a historic agreement between the city and the University of California, began the revitalization of downtown Berkeley, led efforts to secure additional open space and launched a Bio-Tech Academy at Berkeley High School (in partnership with Bayer
Bayer
Bayer AG is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen , Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin.-History:...
). Hancock is married to current Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates
Tom Bates
Thomas H. Bates is an American politician and is currently serving as the Mayor of Berkeley, California. He previously served 20 years as a member of the California State Assembly before being termed out in 1996. Bates is married to Loni Hancock, a former mayor of Berkeley and State Assembly...
.
Roles in Presidential Administrations
Senator Hancock also served as President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's Regional Director for ACTION
ACTION (U.S. government agency)
ACTION was a United States government agency described as, "the Federal Domestic Volunteer Agency". It was formed in 1970 from VISTA; the Peace Corps; and the Foster Grandparents, Retired and Senior Volunteer, and Senior Companion Programs...
, overseeing a host of domestic volunteer programs including VISTA
Volunteers in Service to America
VISTA or Volunteers in Service to America is an anti-poverty program created by Lyndon Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 as the domestic version of the Peace Corps. Initially, the program increased employment opportunities for conscientious people who felt they could contribute tangibly to...
, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. In 1994, Hancock left her position as mayor of Berkeley to serve in the administration of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Hancock headed the Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education. Working with schools, communities, state and local governments, she helped launch many of Clinton's education initiatives.
California State Assembly
Hancock chaired the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. She led the committee to pass environmental legislation that protects open space, expands recycling programs and promotes healthy city-infill strategies in the state. Hancock also chaired the Assembly Select Committee on Bridging the Achievement Gap which, working to reduce high dropout rates, improve school-to-career programs, and provide oversight of the federal No Child Left Behind ActNo Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. In 2007, the Governor signed legislation authored by Assemblywoman Hancock to greatly expand career technical education programs for high school students.
Hancock sat on the Assembly Committee on Rules and chaired the Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention, and was a member of the Committee on Education, the Committee on Housing and Community Development, the Budget Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. She worked in her committee positions to help expand health care programs for children, increase funding for foster youth programs and prevent cuts in Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal
The California Medical Assistance Program is the name of the California Medicaid program serving low-income families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and certain low-income adults...
stipends and proposed cuts to programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
Hancock is strongly committed to campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns....
, and she authored AB 583, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, to provide full public financing for all statewide races in California. In June 2007, the bill passed the Assembly with 45 votes. AB 583 is currently making its way through the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
.
Hancock was the first state Assemblymember in California to launch a Web log, or "blog." The blog enables her to communicate directly with and receive input from her constituents on a variety of issues.
California State Senate
Hancock was termed out of her Assembly seat in 2008. In the 2008 Democratic primary, she defeated former Assemblywoman Wilma ChanWilma Chan
Wilma Chan is a politician in California. Chan served as the California State Assembly Majority Leader from 2002–2004; she was the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the position. She also served as Assembly Majority Whip from 2001-2002. Chan is a Democrat...
in the race for the Senate District 9 seat by a percentage of 56.5% to Chan's 43.5%. With heavily Democratic registration advantages in District 9, she was elected to the State Senate with 77.30%. Senator Hancock was sworn in to the State Senate on December 1, 2008.
Hancock currently chairs the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee and is a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Education Committee, the Environmental Quality Committee, the Food and Agriculture Committee, and the Public Safety Committee.