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 sourceAB 1460 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1223 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 987 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 656 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 260 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1529 Housing and Community Development Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1166 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 672 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 391 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1142 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 309 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 655 Alvarez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 632 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1436 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1085 Stefani Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 379 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
SCR 34 Grove Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1415 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 438 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day
ACR 80 Stefani Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1515 Labor and Employment Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 806 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 876 Flora Assembly Third Reading
AB 760 Ta Assembly Third Reading
AB 1528 Human Services Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 786 Solache Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 416 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 752 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 1341 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 1478 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1334 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 358 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1516 REV. & TAX. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 5 Nguyen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 592 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
HR 38 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1301 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 711 Chen Assembly Third Reading
AB 463 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 972 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 992 Irwin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1177 Connolly Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 896 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 55 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
AB 1507 Banking and Finance Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 712 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 523 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 518 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 54 Krell Assembly Third Reading