Liz Ortega represents Assembly District 20, which includes Hayward, San Leandro, most of Union City, portions of Dublin and Pleasanton, and the unincorporated communities of Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, and San Lorenzo.
A longtime labor and community leader, Assemblymember Ortega has spent 20 years advocating for working families and healthy and safe communities across California.
Liz’s father came to the U.S. in search of the American Dream and found work in Oakland. Meanwhile, Liz’s 21-year-old mother, raising three-year-old Liz and her six-month-old brother in Guadalajara, grew anxious and decided to make the dangerous journey across the border with her two small children to reunite their family and pursue a better future.
As the first Latina leader of Alameda County’s Labor Council and as a legislator, Assemblymember Ortega brought together community groups and won equitable wages, family healthcare, and safe working conditions.
During the pandemic, Liz secured hazard pay for grocery store workers and higher minimum wages, supported striking teachers, and helped win better patient care.
As Chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, Liz is the voice for over 19 million workers in California whether they are in a union or not, focusing on protecting employee rights and enforcing workplace safety laws.
In her first term in office, Asm. Ortega prevented the closure of St. Rose Hospital —Hayward’s only safety-net hospital, which provides essential emergency and maternal health services to underserved populations. She also successfully secured low-cost Narcan to save countless lives from being lost to the Fentanyl crisis.
Asm. Ortega currently serves on the Assembly’s Standing Committees on Budget, Human Services, Insurance, and Privacy and Consumer Protection. She also serves on the Select Committees on Retail Theft and on Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction, and Overdose Prevention.
Her contributions to the community have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Fighting for Poverty Award from the California Association of Food Banks of Santa Cruz County. Asm. Ortega holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix and lives in San Leandro with her family and their dog, Noah.