For voters in Assembly District 27, Esmeralda Soria’s public life follows a Central Valley route: raised in Visalia, elected in Fresno and then elected to the California State Assembly. She served on the Fresno City Council from 2015 to 2022 and was elected its president in 2018 before winning an Assembly seat in 2022. Along the way came an unsuccessful campaign for Congress and a pointed judgment about problems in Jim Costa’s district: “nothing had changed.” Soria is also an adjunct professor, and her background includes higher education and work in state and federal government before she entered elected office.
ROOTS
Soria was born April 22, 1982, and raised in Visalia. Her parents were immigrants from Michoacán, Mexico, who valued education and giving back to their community. Their values helped interest her in politics at a young age.
She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Davis, and attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Executive Leadership Program. After graduating from Berkeley, she began working at the California State Capitol. She later interned at the White House.
Those positions gave Soria experience in government before she held elected office. Her background also includes her current work as an adjunct professor.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Soria was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2014 and served from 2015 through 2022. She entered as the council’s only woman. In 2018, she was elected council president, becoming the first Latina council president in Fresno city history.
In 2020, Soria tried to move from City Hall to Congress. She challenged Jim Costa for the U.S. House, saying that she felt “nothing had changed” about the problems in Costa’s district since his election in 2004. She lost the primary to Costa and Republican Kevin Cookingham.
In 2021, as she was set to term out after the end of her City Council term, Soria said she was considering a campaign for the California State Assembly. She launched her campaign for the 27th district in January 2022. Soria and Mark Pazin advanced from the primary, and she defeated Pazin in the general election after a tight race. She has represented Assembly District 27 since 2022.
THE THROUGH LINE
Soria’s career has included work at the California State Capitol, an internship at the White House, service on the Fresno City Council and election to the California State Assembly. Her 2020 campaign for Congress also brought her before voters beyond her City Council constituency, although she did not advance from the primary.
Her governing experience is concentrated in Fresno City Hall and the California State Capitol. On the council, she entered as its only woman and later became the first Latina council president in Fresno city history. At the state level, she has represented the 27th district since defeating Pazin in 2022.
Education is also present in Soria’s background through her studies at Berkeley and Davis, her attendance at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Executive Leadership Program and her work as an adjunct professor. Her path to elected state office proceeded from early government work to municipal office and then to the Legislature.
- State Assembly · Assembly District 27 · 2022–present
For voters in Assembly District 27, Esmeralda Soria’s public life follows a Central Valley route: raised in Visalia, elected in Fresno and then elected to the California State Assembly. She served on the Fresno City Council from 2015 to 2022 and was elected its president in 2018 before winning an Assembly seat in 2022. Along the way came an unsuccessful campaign for Congress and a pointed judgment about problems in Jim Costa’s district: “nothing had changed.” Soria is also an adjunct professor, and her background includes higher education and work in state and federal government before she entered elected office.
ROOTS
Soria was born April 22, 1982, and raised in Visalia. Her parents were immigrants from Michoacán, Mexico, who valued education and giving back to their community. Their values helped interest her in politics at a young age.
She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Davis, and attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Executive Leadership Program. After graduating from Berkeley, she began working at the California State Capitol. She later interned at the White House.
Those positions gave Soria experience in government before she held elected office. Her background also includes her current work as an adjunct professor.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Soria was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2014 and served from 2015 through 2022. She entered as the council’s only woman. In 2018, she was elected council president, becoming the first Latina council president in Fresno city history.
In 2020, Soria tried to move from City Hall to Congress. She challenged Jim Costa for the U.S. House, saying that she felt “nothing had changed” about the problems in Costa’s district since his election in 2004. She lost the primary to Costa and Republican Kevin Cookingham.
In 2021, as she was set to term out after the end of her City Council term, Soria said she was considering a campaign for the California State Assembly. She launched her campaign for the 27th district in January 2022. Soria and Mark Pazin advanced from the primary, and she defeated Pazin in the general election after a tight race. She has represented Assembly District 27 since 2022.
THE THROUGH LINE
Soria’s career has included work at the California State Capitol, an internship at the White House, service on the Fresno City Council and election to the California State Assembly. Her 2020 campaign for Congress also brought her before voters beyond her City Council constituency, although she did not advance from the primary.
Her governing experience is concentrated in Fresno City Hall and the California State Capitol. On the council, she entered as its only woman and later became the first Latina council president in Fresno city history. At the state level, she has represented the 27th district since defeating Pazin in 2022.
Education is also present in Soria’s background through her studies at Berkeley and Davis, her attendance at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Executive Leadership Program and her work as an adjunct professor. Her path to elected state office proceeded from early government work to municipal office and then to the Legislature.
The record
4,332 events, each with its sourceAB 76 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 879 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 889 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 898 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 36 Soria Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1206 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 978 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1009 Blanca Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1029 Valencia Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1123 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 1518 REV. & TAX. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1513 Elections Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1512 Elections Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1509 M. & V. A. Assembly Third Reading By SCHIAVO
AB 1447 Gipson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 47 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 12 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 75 Alanis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Border Patrol Agent Daniel H. Salazar Memorial Highway.
AB 703 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 679 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1224 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
Drowning Awareness and Prevention Month.
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month.
AB 492 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 519 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 60 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 467 Fong Assembly Third Reading
Relative to National Hospital Week.
AB 1438 Gallagher Third Reading Urgency
AB 831 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AJR 6 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1286 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 428 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
Do pass. To Consent Calendar
AB 1175 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 259 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 1522 JUD. Third Reading Urgency By KALRA
AB 536 Patterson Assembly Third Reading
AB 263 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 16 Alanis Assembly Third Reading
SCR 39 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
AB 787 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 681 Elhawary Assembly Third Reading
AB 1514 Labor and Employment Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1496 Blanca Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session