Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 50

Assemblymember Betsy Butler

Assemblymember Betsy Butler was elected to the California State Assembly in 2010 and is seeking re-election in the 50th Assembly District. Betsy's work has focused on fighting for consumers, advocating for working families and protecting the environment.

Most recently, Assemblywoman Butler achieved one of the goals that motivated her to run for State Assembly. Her Toxin-Free Infants and Toddler Act, AB 1319, which will ban the use of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups, was signed into law by the Governor on October 4. BPA is widely considered a health hazard linked to early puberty, childhood obesity, break cancer, autism, hyperactivity and other long-term medical problems.

In the State Assembly, Betsy serves on the Assembly Budget Committee, the Budget Sub-Committee on Resources and Transportation, the Committees on Business and Professions; Education; Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media; and Rules. She is Chair of the Select Committee on Aerospace and is a member of the Select Committee on Domestic Violence; Financial Empowerment; Preservation of California's Entertainment Industry and Regional Approaches to Addressing the State's Water Crisis.

Assemblymember Butler's involvement in environmental issues spans her entire career, which includes the time she spent working for the California League of Conservation Voters and the Environmental Defense Fund. Betsy helped create communities of support for strategic environmental movements, including carbon emission standard changes, water conservation and habitat protection policies. Betsy currently is a board member of Equality California and previously served as President of the National Women's Political Caucus (LA Westside Chapter), and as the Director of Development for Consumer Attorneys of California. Assemblymember Butler also has served as an appointed member of the California Film Commission, where she worked to keep the film industry as a driver of the state's economy.

During the Clinton Administration, Betsy worked at the Department of Commerce on trade policy priorities including the Uruguay Round and World Trade Organization transformation matters, intellectual property rights, trade development and fair trade practices.

Assemblymember Butler's commitment to public service was solidified during her years in college as an intern for State Assemblymember Lucy Killea, U.S. Senator Alan Cranston and Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy.

A resident of the coastal Los Angeles area for over twenty years, Betsy has been active in local grassroots organizations promoting green and responsible development in neighborhoods and communities. In 2006, then-Congresswoman Hilda Solis recognized Betsy for her activism and commitment to working families at the Congresswoman's annual leadership luncheon.

Born in Sacramento, Betsy Graduated from San Diego State University and from the Executive Program in Management at UCLA.