Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer Sr. (born January 14, 1957) is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly since 2012. Representing the 59th district from 2012 to 2022 and the 57th district from 2022 to 2024, Jones-Sawyer was a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus and served as chair of the caucus from 2015 to 2016. In 2023, he announced his candidacy for the Los Angeles City Council for the 2024 Los Angeles elections, which he placed 5th out of five candidates in the primary.
Reggie Jones-Sawyer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California Assembly | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Donnelly (redistricted) |
| Constituency | 59th district (2012–2022) 57th district (2022–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 14, 1957 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Jefferson Thomas (uncle) |
| Residence(s) | South Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California (BS) |
| Profession | Labor organizer |
Early life and education
editJones-Sawyer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 14, 1957. His uncle, Jefferson Thomas, was one of the "Little Rock Nine" high school students.[1] He attended and graduated from the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Science degree degree in Public Administration.[2]
Political career
editPrior to his election to the California State Assembly, Jones-Sawyer worked for the City of Los Angeles, including as Director of Asset Management and Assistant Deputy Mayor.[3] He also served as the Secretary of the California Democratic Party, Chair of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, Chair of the Los Angeles County Small Business Commission, and Vice President for SEIU's Local 721 within the Los Angeles Professional Managers Association.[4][5]
Jones-Sawyer was elected to the State Assembly in 2012, being re-elected five more times until 2022; he was twice re-elected without any opposition.[6] In 2014, he was fined for campaign violations, admitting that he accepted campaign contributions from a friend that was over the limit of contributions.[7] In 2021, Jones-Sawyer sought to change the statewide entry requirements for police officers with AB89, which would've required at least a bachelor's degree or at least 25 years of age before entering a police academy.[8]
In 2023, Jones-Sawyer announced that he would be challenging appointed incumbent councilor Heather Hutt in the 2024 Los Angeles elections.[9] He was eliminated in the primary.
In 2023, Jones-Sawyer committee chair of Public Safety Committee, disapproved of Senate Bill 14, a bill that would include sex trafficking of a minor in the lists of crimes that are defined as serious under California law, making the crime a strike under the Three Strikes law. Jones-Sawyer said it would disproportionately affect “Black and Brown Communities.” Proponents of the bipartisan bill argued that over 70% of trafficked women in shelters are black and over 50% of children trafficked are black i.e. Figueroa St. Los Angeles. Jones-Sawyer argued, “there is no evidence that if you lock someone up for long periods of time, it helps them”. However, proponents of SB14 argued this is to protect victims and prevent repeat perpetrators from further trafficking.
Jones-Sawyer is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[10]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | |||||||
| 2012 | State Assembly | Democratic | 7,029 | 43.6% | 1st | 36,949 | 52.3% | 1st | Won | Hold | ||
| 2014 | 12,404 | 100.00% | 1st | 28,493 | 100.00% | 1st | Won | Hold | ||||
| 2016 | 35,820 | 100.00% | 1st | 77,325 | 100.00% | 1st | Won | Hold | ||||
| 2018 | 19,188 | 76.8% | 1st | 47,765 | 66.9% | 1st | Won | Hold | ||||
| 2020 | 19,873 | 44.9% | 2nd | 63,448 | 57.5% | 1st | Won | Hold | ||||
| 2024 | City Council | Nonpartisan | 2,102 | 5.92% | 5th | Did not advance | Lost | N/A | ||||
References
edit- ^ Sandoval, Sarina (June 12, 2020). "California Assemblymember Shares Connection to Little Rock Nine". Spectrum News 1.
- ^ Taylor Jr., Otis R. (May 2, 2023). "Mini-Documentary: California's Reparations Task Force on the Foundation for Lasting Reparative Justice". KQED.
- ^ McGreevy, Patrick (April 4, 2018). "These 14 California legislators are getting two government checks a month". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
- ^ "BERNIE SANDERS CALLS OUT DECEPTIVE PRO-EFREN MARTINEZ MAILER". Los Angeles Sentinel. October 15, 2020.
- ^ Gamson, Benjamin (October 20, 2023). "USC-area lawmakers talk student issues". Daily Trojan.
- ^ Evains, Tyler Shaun (May 28, 2022). "Election 2022: Reggie Jones-Sawyer runs unopposed for 57th Assembly District reelection". Daily Breeze.
- ^ McGreevy, Patrick (June 9, 2014). "Two Calif. state lawmakers fined for campaign violations". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Koseff, Alexei (2021-01-04). "California considers requiring police recruits to finish college or setting minimum age of 25". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ White, Jeremy B. (February 17, 2023). "They know the way from Sacramento to L.A." Politico.
- ^ "Legislative Progressive Caucus". assembly.ca.gov. California State Assembly. Retrieved 11 April 2024.