Lisa Yvette Calderon is a Democrat representing California's 56th Assembly District, which includes the Gateway Cities, portions of the San Gabriel Valley, southeast Los Angeles County, Whittier, South El Monte, Hacienda Heights, and City of Industry in Los Angeles County. Elected in November 2020 after her stepson Ian Calderon's retirement, she succeeded him in the seat and won re-election in 2024 with 56.7% of the vote. Part of California's influential Calderon political family—her husband Charles is a former state senator and assemblymember—she has focused on working families, foster youth, homeless students, the elderly, immigrants, renewable energy, wildfire mitigation, and drought resilience. Notable achievements include securing millions in state budget funding for asylees, prohibiting colleges from reducing student financial aid from private scholarships, advancing lung health protections amid wildfires, establishing offshore wind infrastructure groundwork, promoting urban tree canopy and K-12 school greening, and expediting drought-resilient water projects. She currently chairs the Assembly Insurance Committee and serves on Appropriations, Emergency Management, Human Services, and Utilities and Energy committees; she is also a Commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Education and Political Experience

Calderon holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento. Before her 2020 Assembly election, she worked as a Latino community organizer opposing Proposition 187, an aide to former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, and government affairs director for Edison International, building expertise in renewable energy and wildfire policy. In office since 2020, she has initiated numerous bills, including recent efforts on anti-hunger training, countering unmanned aircraft systems, FAIR Plan insurance reforms, and FAIR Plan stabilization. She maintains offices in Sacramento and City of Industry.