Candidate for
Member; California State Assembly; District 19; Democratic Party

After more than a decade of public service and extensive legal work, Gina Papan was appointed as the Deputy Director of Governor Gray Davis' Office of Criminal Justice Planning in 1999. In the position, she managed 150 full time employees and oversaw a $400 million budget encompassing all aspects of California's criminal justice system.

The Office of Criminal Justice Planning is Governor Davis' criminal justice policy and oversight agency. In her handling of these complex and politically sensitive issues, Papan worked closely with state legislators, local governments, law enforcement, federal agencies, constituent groups and others. In addition, she represented Governor Davis on a number of professional organizations, such as the California District Attorney's Association, the High Technology Advisory Group and the State Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice.

Papan's work in juvenile justice and school safety has been a particular focus. On her second day on the job, the tragic school shooting took place in Columbine, Colorado. She worked quickly and collaboratively to develop a number of new school safety initiatives, as well as coordinating emergency response efforts to help communities in the aftermath of school-related violence. For example, Papan organized a school safety forum in San Mateo County with the county school superintendent, local police chiefs, state school safety experts and community members to ensure children remain safe at school.

Papan's prior legal experience has come on the front lines. After a stint with a corporate law firm, she served six years as a California Deputy Attorney General. Based in the Bay Area, she worked on a number of civil rights actions and aggressively investigated and litigated the fraudulent use of taxpayer money. Her work helped save the state millions of dollars.

The high cost of living for families in San Mateo County has been a focus of Papan's volunteer activities in her community. She serves as the assistant director of John's Closet, a volunteer organization that provides low-income families with new clothing for their children. Most of the more than 8,500 families served by John's Closet have working parents who are not able to earn enough money to live in San Mateo and provide their children with adequate clothing.

As a Board member of the San Francisco Women Lawyer's Alliance, Papan worked on the successful effort to create children's waiting rooms in courthouses throughout California. She is also the Assistant CEO and Secretary of the John Papan Memorial Scholarship Fund, a volunteer with Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, and served as a delegate to the last four California State Democratic Conventions.