Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 37

Assemblymember Das Williams was elected in November 2010 and represents the over half of the County of Santa Barbara, as well as nearly a quarter of the County of Ventura.

Williams is widely regarded as a leader in the expansion of renewable energy usage, protecting the coastal environment, and as a fierce advocate for access to publicly funded higher education. In just the two short years he has served in the Assembly, Williams has authored landmark legislation to protect public libraries, create the first dedicated revenue source for higher education, increase the use of renewable energy in both the public and private sector, and growing the green jobs sector.

In 1994, Das was inspired by the first Democratic elections in South Africa and flew to Cape Town to work for Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. During this time he experienced the transforming power of grassroots action. It's this deep belief in the power of community and neighbors reaching out to neighbors that has helped Das become an accomplished community advocate. His dedication to building communities has led to his participation in numerous community endeavors. He served for years as a community organizer for CAUSE, a Ventura based non-profit, and headed the group's efforts to stop a proposed big-box retail development in Ventura.

Das holds a Master's degree in Environmental Science & Management, with a focus in water pollution, planning processes, and land-use law at UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science.

Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2010, Williams served as a member of the Santa Barbara City Council, a position to which he was elected in 2003. While there, Williams led the successful effort to expand alternative energy produced by the city to ensure that 34% of the city's energy came from renewable energy by the year 2012. Already a "green" city, he worked to continue Santa Barbara's commitment to environmental activism by fighting to preserve open space, and keep oil wells out of coastal waters. This is in addition to his longstanding efforts to expand public transit to reduce traffic and pollution. He took that commitment to green energy one step further when elected to the Assembly by playing a crucial role in the passage of landmark legislation that will require the State of California to generate 34% of the state's energy from renewable resources by 2020. This legislation not only reduces greenhouse gases and other pollutants, but will also aid in the development of the green economy.

A native to the Central Coast, Williams has been dedicated to the environmental health of the region. He grew up locally, moving to the Ojai Valley as an infant and attended local schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara. He left high school early to attend Santa Barbara City College before transferring to U.C. Berkeley, where he earned his degree in Political Science.

He was a leader in the effort to stop off-shore oil drilling, protecting the coast and local water supplies by working to restore local creeks and wetlands, and fighting to preserve open space.

Access to affordable, quality public education is also a top priority for Williams. Before being elected, Asseemblymember Williams was a teacher for 5 years and Trustee of Peabody Charter School. He also served on the local school board, which gave him the background to work with teachers, policy makers, parents and education experts to rebuild our school system and ensure every child has access to a world class education. Even during his sort time as an Assemblymember, he has helped to pass legislation to protect the funding for the Santa Barbara School districts when they are unified. This legislation he wrote will generate approximately $6 million in additional funding for the SBUSD.