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Mialisa "Mia" Tania Bonta (née Villafañe; born January 26, 1972) is an American politician serving as a member of the California State Assembly. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the 18th Assembly District, which consists of Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville.[1][2]
Mia Bonta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 18th district | |
| Assumed office September 7, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Bonta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mialisa Tania Villafañe January 26, 1972 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rob Bonta |
| Children | 3, including Reina |
| Education | Yale University (BA, JD) Harvard University (MEd) |
Bonta was born to Puerto Rican parents.[3] Some of her ancestors came to Puerto Rico from Ghana via the Atlantic slave trade.[4] She is the daughter of a divorced working mother in the Bronx. She attended Yale University, where she met Rob Bonta as a freshman.[5] Bonta earned a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education before attending Yale Law School with Rob Bonta.[6][7][8]
Mia Bonta is the CEO of Oakland Promise, a nonprofit cradle-to-college support program focused on the city's low-income students.[9] In 2018, she was elected to the Alameda School Board. In 2021 she was elected as a member of the California State Assembly from the 18th district.[10]
During her special election campaigns, Bonta's opponents claimed that she benefited from her husband's position and name, and pointed to money she has received from gambling interests that may be intended to influence Rob Bonta.[11] In the primary, Bonta finished first place with 38% of the vote, and in the runoff, she defeated human rights attorney Janani Ramachandran by 56% to 44%.
Bonta is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[12]
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She has three children with her husband, Rob Bonta.[9] Their daughter, Reina, is a filmmaker and plays soccer for Brazilian club Santos FC and the Philippines national team.[13][14]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Mia Bonta | 22,558 | 38.0 | |
| Democratic | Janani Ramachandran | 14,036 | 23.7 | |
| Democratic | Malia Vella | 10,053 | 16.9 | |
| Republican | Stephen Slauson | 5,725 | 9.6 | |
| Democratic | Victor Aguilar | 3,938 | 6.6 | |
| Democratic | James Aguilar | 1,039 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | Eugene Canson | 1,029 | 1.7 | |
| No party preference | Joel Britton | 750 | 1.3 | |
| N/A | Nelsy Batista (write-in) | 13 | 0.0 | |
| N/A | Other write-in candidates | 187 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 59,328 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Mia Bonta | 43,460 | 56.8 | |
| Democratic | Janani Ramachandran | 33,012 | 43.2 | |
| Total votes | 76,472 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Mia Bonta (incumbent) | 69,142 | 100% | |
| Republican | Mindy Pechenuk (write-in) | 31 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 69,173 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Mia Bonta (incumbent) | 120,863 | 89.9 | |
| Republican | Mindy Pechenuk | 13,504 | 10.1 | |
| Total votes | 134,367 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
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