Diane Dixon came to Assembly District 72 through Newport Beach City Hall, after 40 years as a private-sector business executive. Elected to the City Council in 2014, she served two terms as mayor and built her public record around budgets, pension liabilities, public safety and infrastructure. She also worked in the regional bodies where Orange County cities coordinate with one another: the Association of California Cities-Orange County, the Southern California Association of Governments and the Orange County Council of Governments. Her first campaign for the Assembly ended in a narrow defeat in 2020. She ran again and won in 2022.
BEFORE PUBLIC OFFICE
Dixon earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in political science from the University of Southern California. She was married to Pat Dixon, a career prosecutor who serves as special counsel to the Orange County district attorney.
Her four decades in business preceded her first elected office. Over nearly the same span, she served on philanthropic and community-based boards. Those included United Way Orange County and the YMCA, along with the USC Board of Councilors and Alumni Association. Her community work also extended to educational institutions, child service agencies and health-related organizations.
That is the background Dixon brought to city government: a long business career accompanied by sustained work through boards and local institutions. Before voters put her on the City Council, much of her civic activity took place through organizations that operate alongside government rather than inside it.
NEWPORT BEACH AND THE REGION
Dixon was elected to the Newport Beach City Council in 2014 and later served two terms as mayor. Her record there centered on the ordinary but consequential machinery of municipal government. During her mayoral service, her leadership helped the city deliver budget surpluses, pay down pension liabilities, improve public safety and complete infrastructure projects on time and within budget.
Her work also involved cooperation among residents, businesses and government in resolving community problems. She also held roles beyond Newport Beach in organizations connecting city officials across Orange County and Southern California. Dixon became a past president of the Association of California Cities-Orange County. She served from 2019 through 2022 on the regional council of SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments, and also served on the board of the Orange County Council of Governments.
These roles placed her in regional councils and associations beyond Newport Beach, including organizations connecting cities across Orange County and Southern California.
THE JUMP
Dixon first ran for the California State Assembly in 2020 against first-term Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris. She lost the general election by a very narrow margin.
The district map changed before the next election. In 2022, redistricting led Petrie-Norris to run in a neighboring district. Dixon ran again and won an Assembly seat in 2022.
Her route to the Legislature was therefore neither immediate nor detached from local office. It ran from a Newport Beach council election through two terms as mayor, regional council and board roles, and two Assembly campaigns. The close 2020 loss remained a loss; after redistricting led Petrie-Norris to run in a neighboring district in 2022, Dixon secured the office on her second attempt.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Dixon’s clearest documented policy record is in municipal management. The items attached to her mayoral record are specific: budget surpluses, reduced pension liabilities, public safety improvements, infrastructure delivered on time and within budget, and cooperation among residents, businesses and government. Her regional roles added work through councils and associations connecting local governments.
No particular Assembly bill appears in the available record here. What does appear is attention to local government’s finances, services and physical work, together with long service to community organizations. The documented interests include cities managing budgets and infrastructure; residents, businesses and government working to resolve community problems; and organizations serving education, children and health.
On the documented record, Dixon was a business executive who entered municipal office, served in Orange County regional organizations and then won election to the Assembly.
- State Assembly · Assembly District 72 · 2022–present
Diane Dixon came to Assembly District 72 through Newport Beach City Hall, after 40 years as a private-sector business executive. Elected to the City Council in 2014, she served two terms as mayor and built her public record around budgets, pension liabilities, public safety and infrastructure. She also worked in the regional bodies where Orange County cities coordinate with one another: the Association of California Cities-Orange County, the Southern California Association of Governments and the Orange County Council of Governments. Her first campaign for the Assembly ended in a narrow defeat in 2020. She ran again and won in 2022.
BEFORE PUBLIC OFFICE
Dixon earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in political science from the University of Southern California. She was married to Pat Dixon, a career prosecutor who serves as special counsel to the Orange County district attorney.
Her four decades in business preceded her first elected office. Over nearly the same span, she served on philanthropic and community-based boards. Those included United Way Orange County and the YMCA, along with the USC Board of Councilors and Alumni Association. Her community work also extended to educational institutions, child service agencies and health-related organizations.
That is the background Dixon brought to city government: a long business career accompanied by sustained work through boards and local institutions. Before voters put her on the City Council, much of her civic activity took place through organizations that operate alongside government rather than inside it.
NEWPORT BEACH AND THE REGION
Dixon was elected to the Newport Beach City Council in 2014 and later served two terms as mayor. Her record there centered on the ordinary but consequential machinery of municipal government. During her mayoral service, her leadership helped the city deliver budget surpluses, pay down pension liabilities, improve public safety and complete infrastructure projects on time and within budget.
Her work also involved cooperation among residents, businesses and government in resolving community problems. She also held roles beyond Newport Beach in organizations connecting city officials across Orange County and Southern California. Dixon became a past president of the Association of California Cities-Orange County. She served from 2019 through 2022 on the regional council of SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments, and also served on the board of the Orange County Council of Governments.
These roles placed her in regional councils and associations beyond Newport Beach, including organizations connecting cities across Orange County and Southern California.
THE JUMP
Dixon first ran for the California State Assembly in 2020 against first-term Democratic Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris. She lost the general election by a very narrow margin.
The district map changed before the next election. In 2022, redistricting led Petrie-Norris to run in a neighboring district. Dixon ran again and won an Assembly seat in 2022.
Her route to the Legislature was therefore neither immediate nor detached from local office. It ran from a Newport Beach council election through two terms as mayor, regional council and board roles, and two Assembly campaigns. The close 2020 loss remained a loss; after redistricting led Petrie-Norris to run in a neighboring district in 2022, Dixon secured the office on her second attempt.
THE POLICY SIGNATURE
Dixon’s clearest documented policy record is in municipal management. The items attached to her mayoral record are specific: budget surpluses, reduced pension liabilities, public safety improvements, infrastructure delivered on time and within budget, and cooperation among residents, businesses and government. Her regional roles added work through councils and associations connecting local governments.
No particular Assembly bill appears in the available record here. What does appear is attention to local government’s finances, services and physical work, together with long service to community organizations. The documented interests include cities managing budgets and infrastructure; residents, businesses and government working to resolve community problems; and organizations serving education, children and health.
On the documented record, Dixon was a business executive who entered municipal office, served in Orange County regional organizations and then won election to the Assembly.
The record
7,012 events, each with its sourceSB 776 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 787 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 809 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Ramos
SB 822 Becker Senate Third Reading By Valencia
SB 848 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Wicks
SB 855 Military and Veterans Aff Senate Third Reading By SCHIAVO
AB 39 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 70 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 93 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 243 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 247 Bryan Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 268 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 338 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 406 Schiavo Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 419 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 422 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 495 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 507 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 564 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 566 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 610 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 628 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 632 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 650 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 678 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 692 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 740 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 747 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 766 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 777 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 798 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 851 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 858 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 961 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1050 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1064 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1069 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1078 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1136 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1172 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1319 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1324 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1332 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1336 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1362 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1445 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1466 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1487 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments