Ash Kalra
Member of the California State Assembly
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byNora Campos
Constituency27th district (2016–2022)
25th district (2022–present)
Member of the San Jose City Council
from the 2nd district
In office
January 6, 2009 – December 5, 2016
Preceded byForrest Williams
Succeeded bySergio Jimenez
Personal details
Born (1972-01-21) January 21, 1972
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)

Ash Kalra (born January 21, 1972) is an American politician who has served as a member of the California State Assembly since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, Kalra previously served on the San Jose City Council from 2008 to 2016.

Kalra represents the 25th Assembly District, which encompasses parts of eastern San Jose, and chairs the California Legislative Progressive Caucus and the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee. A first-generation immigrant, he is the first Hindu and Indian American to serve in the California State Legislature.[1]

Early life and education

Kalra was born in Toronto to Indian parents. His family immigrated to the United States in 1978 and settled in San Jose, California, where Kalra has lived ever since.[2]

Kalra attended San Jose public schools and is a graduate of Oak Grove High School.[3] He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in communications in 1993, and later Georgetown University, from which he graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1996.[4]

As a law student, Kalra taught at inner city schools in Washington, D.C. He returned to San Jose after law school and became a law professor at San Jose State University and Lincoln Law School.[5]

In addition to teaching, Kalra was a deputy public defender for Santa Clara County for 11 years.[6] He represented clients in felony and misdemeanor trials and spent most of his time in drug treatment court to help his clients get into rehabilitation programs.[5]

Political career

Kalra was elected to the San Jose City Council in 2008 and served two terms on the city council. He represented District 2, which encompassed South San Jose.

Kalra was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2016, succeeding term-limited Democrat Nora Campos and defeating fellow Democrat and San Jose city councilmember Madison Nguyen. He is the first Hindu and Indian American to serve in the California State Legislature.[7]

Kalra currently chairs the California Legislative Progressive Caucus as well as the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and the Assembly Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers.[8][9]

Kalra supported Bernie Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign.[10] He was mentioned as a possible replacement for Xavier Becerra as Attorney General of California following Becerra's appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services, but fellow Bay Area assemblymember Rob Bonta was appointed instead.[11]

Kalra authored the California Racial Justice Act of 2020.[12] In 2023, Kalra authored legislation that would prohibit the towing or immobilizing vehicles due to unpaid parking tickets.[13] The San Jose Department of Transportation spokesperson said that the legislation would make parking enforcement in San Jose more difficult.[13]

Personal life

Kalra lives in San Jose. He practices Hinduism and is a vegan.[14]

In 2011, Kalra was arrested for and pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol. He was sentenced to serve community service hours and receive counseling.[6]

Electoral history

California State Assembly

2016 election

2016 California's 27th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Madison Nguyen 27,453 34.3
Democratic Ash Kalra 15,843 19.8
Republican Van Le 11,726 14.7
Democratic Andres Quintero 10,922 13.7
Democratic Cong Thanh Do 4,869 6.1
Democratic Darcie Green 4,769 6.0
Democratic Esau Herrera 4,342 5.4
Total votes 79,924 100.0
General election
Democratic Ash Kalra 71,696 53.2
Democratic Madison Nguyen 63,048 46.8
Total votes 134,744 100.0
Democratic hold

2018 election

2018 California's 27th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ash Kalra (incumbent) 51,825 99.5
Republican G. Burt Lancaster (write-in) 285 0.5
Total votes 52,110 100.0
General election
Democratic Ash Kalra (incumbent) 90,068 76.3
Republican G. Burt Lancaster 27,990 23.7
Total votes 118,058 100.0
Democratic hold

2020 election

2020 California's 27th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ash Kalra (incumbent) 46,039 73.4%
Republican G. Burt Lancaster 16,722 26.6%
Total votes

References

  1. ↑ "Day One for New Assemblymember Ash Kalra". California State Assembly. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Meet the Immigrant Legislators Putting Their Stamp on the Capitol". KQED. May 2, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  3. ↑ "California State Assemblymember Ash Kalra - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Biography | Official Website - Assemblymember Ash Kalra Representing the 25th California Assembly District". a25.asmdc.org. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Ash Kalra for Assembly | Home". Ash Kalra for Assembly. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Lee, Henry K. (June 30, 2011). "San Jose Councilman Ash Kalra sentenced for DUI". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 29, 2019. [Kalra] has been ordered to serve in a jail work-detail program and undergo counseling after pleading guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving
  7. ↑ "California Board urged to represent Hinduism accurately". The Economic Times. November 9, 2017. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Assemblymember Kalra Appointed to Chair Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers | Official Website - Assemblymember Ash Kalra Representing the 25th California Assembly District". a25.asmdc.org. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  9. ↑ "California Legislative Progressive Caucus Announces 2023 Executive Officers and Membership | Official Website - Assemblymember Ash Kalra Representing the 25th California Assembly District". a25.asmdc.org. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Newsroom, Silicon Valley (March 3, 2020). "Super Tuesday 2020: Live Blog". San Jose Inside. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Wipf, Carly (December 22, 2020). "San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra wants to be the next Attorney General". San José Spotlight. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Bill Search". California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Gabbert, Lorraine (April 20, 2023). "San Jose lawmaker seeks changes to state towing practices". San José Spotlight.
  14. ↑ "Ash Kalra on Twitter". January 28, 2021. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014.
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