Former Santa Cruz County Clerk Running For Assembly

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Former Santa Cruz County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Gail Pellerin will run for State Assembly as a Democrat, Pellerin announced Monday.

Pellerin will run to represent the newly-drawn 28th Assembly District, the area around Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Mountains currently represented by Democratic Assemblymember Mark Stone, who is not running for re-election and has endorsed her.

Pellerin said in a statement that her top priorities include affordable housing, healthcare, and the environment.

“As your State Assemblymember, I will work hard to address the many important issues
challenging our communities whether it is addressing affordable housing in our region, ensuring that health care is universal and accessible, providing mental health care services to our youth, or keeping California as a world leader in addressing climate change,” Pellerin said. “And most importantly right now, our democracy is under attack and I want to take the fight for the right to vote to the state level.”

Pellerin served as the Santa Cruz County Clerk and Registrar of Voters from 2004 to December 2020, when she retired. From 2010-12, she served as president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials. From 1993-2004, she served as elections manager of the county. Before that, Pellerin spent seven years working for the California State Legislature, focusing on state budget development and constituent services.

She has also served as co-chair of the Secretary of State’s Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee, and has developed programs and guidebooks to ensure equal access to voting, and to educate the public on issues such as recalls, referenda, registration, vote by mail, and more.

In 2009, she received the Hammer of Justice Award from the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the ACLU, as well as proclamations from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and City of Santa Cruz. In April, California Common Cause will award her the 2022 Democracy Hero for her right to ensure equal access to voting.

Pellerin has been endorsed by State Assemblymember Mark Stone, who said Pellerin has the “experience, integrity, and leadership skills to hit the ground running.” She is also endorsed by Congress members Jimmy Panetta, Sam Farr, State Senator John Laird, former Sen. Bill Monning, Assemblymember Robert Rivas, and more.

For a full list of endorsements and to learn more about her campaign, visit gailpellerinforassembly.com