For 20 years in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Dawn Addis worked as an educator at schools including Morro Elementary, Pacific Beach Elementary, San Luis Obispo High School, Pacheco Elementary and Laguna Middle School. She taught special education, served as an English learner intervention specialist and sat on the executive board of the San Luis Coastal Teachers Association. She later served on the Morro Bay City Council, lost an Assembly race in 2020 and was elected to the Assembly in 2022. That election made Addis the first Democrat from San Luis Obispo County elected to the Assembly since 1922 and the first woman to represent Assembly District 30. Re-elected in 2024, she now chairs the Assembly budget panel responsible for health.
THE JOB BEFORE THE JOB
Addis, born July 12, 1972, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education and Spanish and a Master of Arts in special education from San Francisco State University. She holds credentials in elementary, secondary and special education. She worked in San Luis Coastal Unified for 20 years, teaching special education and serving as an English learner intervention specialist.
In 2016, she co-founded the San Luis Obispo chapter of the Women’s March. Its inaugural march in 2017 drew approximately 10,000 people. Addis also served on the board of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.
Addis worked in the school district and served on the executive board of its teachers association. She also co-founded the Women’s March chapter and served on the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund board before entering the Assembly.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Morro Bay voters elected Addis to the City Council in 2018. She served from 2019 through 2022, including as mayor pro tempore from 2019 to 2021. Her first campaign for the Legislature came while she was still on the council. In 2020, she challenged incumbent Republican Jordan Cunningham in Assembly District 35 and lost, 55 percent to 45 percent.
Addis ran again in 2022, this time in Assembly District 30. She received 42 percent in the June 7 primary and then defeated Vicki Nohrden with 61 percent of the general-election vote on Nov. 8. She took office Dec. 5.
Addis was re-elected in 2024, defeating Republican Dalila Epperson with 62.4 percent. In the June 2, 2026 primary, Addis received 53.1 percent and advanced with Republican Shannon Kessler to the Nov. 3 general election. She received more than 60 percent of the vote in the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Addis has authored legislation addressing housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection, education and survivor rights. Inside the Assembly, she serves as Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health, which oversees eight state departments and approximately $175 billion in state healthcare spending. She is also co-founder and co-chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, a bicameral caucus formed to coordinate legislative work on issues affecting the Central Coast. She chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Serving Students with Disabilities and has been appointed to state working groups on Safe Drinking Water and Wildfire Prevention.
Her signed legislation includes measures concerning community college student housing, civil actions related to childhood sexual abuse, multilingual learner education, terminology in the state education code, coastal and ocean protection, local authority over oil and gas operations, the environmental health workforce and liquor licenses in San Luis Obispo County. She has received Legislator of the Year recognitions from the California Faculty Association, SEIU-UHW, Disability Voices United and Equality California. She has a perfect voting-record score from the American Civil Liberties Union and an F rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.
Her Assembly record includes legislation on housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection, education and survivor rights, along with leadership roles on the health budget subcommittee, the Central Coast caucus and the select committee serving students with disabilities.
- State Assembly · Assembly District 30 · 2022–present
For 20 years in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Dawn Addis worked as an educator at schools including Morro Elementary, Pacific Beach Elementary, San Luis Obispo High School, Pacheco Elementary and Laguna Middle School. She taught special education, served as an English learner intervention specialist and sat on the executive board of the San Luis Coastal Teachers Association. She later served on the Morro Bay City Council, lost an Assembly race in 2020 and was elected to the Assembly in 2022. That election made Addis the first Democrat from San Luis Obispo County elected to the Assembly since 1922 and the first woman to represent Assembly District 30. Re-elected in 2024, she now chairs the Assembly budget panel responsible for health.
THE JOB BEFORE THE JOB
Addis, born July 12, 1972, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education and Spanish and a Master of Arts in special education from San Francisco State University. She holds credentials in elementary, secondary and special education. She worked in San Luis Coastal Unified for 20 years, teaching special education and serving as an English learner intervention specialist.
In 2016, she co-founded the San Luis Obispo chapter of the Women’s March. Its inaugural march in 2017 drew approximately 10,000 people. Addis also served on the board of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.
Addis worked in the school district and served on the executive board of its teachers association. She also co-founded the Women’s March chapter and served on the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund board before entering the Assembly.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Morro Bay voters elected Addis to the City Council in 2018. She served from 2019 through 2022, including as mayor pro tempore from 2019 to 2021. Her first campaign for the Legislature came while she was still on the council. In 2020, she challenged incumbent Republican Jordan Cunningham in Assembly District 35 and lost, 55 percent to 45 percent.
Addis ran again in 2022, this time in Assembly District 30. She received 42 percent in the June 7 primary and then defeated Vicki Nohrden with 61 percent of the general-election vote on Nov. 8. She took office Dec. 5.
Addis was re-elected in 2024, defeating Republican Dalila Epperson with 62.4 percent. In the June 2, 2026 primary, Addis received 53.1 percent and advanced with Republican Shannon Kessler to the Nov. 3 general election. She received more than 60 percent of the vote in the 2022 and 2024 general elections.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Addis has authored legislation addressing housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection, education and survivor rights. Inside the Assembly, she serves as Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health, which oversees eight state departments and approximately $175 billion in state healthcare spending. She is also co-founder and co-chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, a bicameral caucus formed to coordinate legislative work on issues affecting the Central Coast. She chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Serving Students with Disabilities and has been appointed to state working groups on Safe Drinking Water and Wildfire Prevention.
Her signed legislation includes measures concerning community college student housing, civil actions related to childhood sexual abuse, multilingual learner education, terminology in the state education code, coastal and ocean protection, local authority over oil and gas operations, the environmental health workforce and liquor licenses in San Luis Obispo County. She has received Legislator of the Year recognitions from the California Faculty Association, SEIU-UHW, Disability Voices United and Equality California. She has a perfect voting-record score from the American Civil Liberties Union and an F rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.
Her Assembly record includes legislation on housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection, education and survivor rights, along with leadership roles on the health budget subcommittee, the Central Coast caucus and the select committee serving students with disabilities.
The record
4,178 events, each with its sourceSCR 45 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 49 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 59 Allen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 525 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 507 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 500 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 455 Ortega Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 447 Mark González Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 435 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 420 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 415 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 385 Ramos Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 302 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 300 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 1531 E.M. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 828 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
SB 49 Grove Third Reading Urgency By Tangipa
AB 904 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AJR 5 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AJR 3 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 920 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 761 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AJR 11 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 1103 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 1374 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 334 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1303 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1504 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 445 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 482 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 1523 JUD. Assembly Third Reading By KALRA
AB 609 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 645 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 1190 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 454 Kalra Third Reading Urgency
AB 930 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 750 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 571 Quirk-Silva Third Reading Urgency
AB 881 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 1532 C. & C. Assembly Third Reading By BOERNER
AB 738 Tangipa Assembly Third Reading
AB 1061 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 290 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1071 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 316 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 1237 McKinnor Third Reading Urgency
AB 1220 Arambula Assembly Third Reading
AB 578 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 344 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 46 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading