Candidate for
Member; California State Assembly; District 1

PATTY BERG for ASSEMBLY

BIOGRAPHY

Patty Berg, age 60, has been a resident of Humboldt County for almost 30 years, moving to Eureka with her husband in 1974. Originally from Seattle, she graduated from California State University at Los Angeles with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology & Social Welfare in 1967.

Patty founded and was the Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging serving Humboldt and Del Norte Counties for 19 years. While there she grew the agency from a staff of 4 and a budget of $300,000 to 25 employees, a multi-million dollar budget, and was providing over 30 programs for seniors. She is a social worker by training and a manager by experience. Patty is no stranger to politics having been a regional leader advocating for policy change in Sacramento and Washington, DC on issues related to aging.

Patty has worked to create jobs in her community. As a co-founder of the Redwood Coast Music Festivals 13 years ago, (the only Festival in the world to have both an economic development and philanthropic outcome), she's helped generate $14.5 million for her local economy - which helped provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to senior programs, and tens of thousands of dollars for schools. It has become the single largest annual event for tourism in Humboldt County.

In 1993, Patty wrote the Humboldt County Crime Prevention Plan and chaired its first Crime Commission for two years. She worked in partnership with law enforcement to take a number of steps - from neighborhood watch and citizens on patrol programs to drug control policies - making communities safer.

Over the years, Patty has been a strong advocate for women's rights and a woman's right to choose having helped found "CHOICES" Humboldt County's first pro-choice PAC in 1982. She also developed California's first K-12 comprehensive family life education curriculum in 1980, which was implemented in 80% of Humboldt County School Districts. Patty designed and taught a course through Humboldt State University to teachers and parents who adopted the curriculum. The training module was published and distributed nationally.

A widow for 15 years, Patty retired from the Area Agency on Aging in 1999. She was enjoying a quiet life in her garden and looking forward to spending time with her two grown stepchildren and grandchild when she was bitten by the "bug." Later that year, Patty ran the immensely successful campaign preventing Wal Mart from building on the coast in Eureka and protecting the area from a "big box" bringing low wages and little to no benefits to town. Seeing her potential and ability to "get the job done" a year later, community and political leaders encouraged Patty to run for the 1st Assembly District seat.

Patty Berg has filled many roles in her lifetime: administrator, social worker, crime fighter, teacher, community activist, master gardener, wife, mother, grandmother, breast cancer survivor - and now, her intention is to add Assemblywoman to the list.