Current Secretary of State of California

Shirley Weber (née Nash; born September 20, 1948) is an American academic and politician serving as the secretary of state of California. She was previously a member of the California State *embly for the 79th *embly District, which includes portions of San Diego, Chula Vista, and National City and all of Lemon Grove and La Mesa.

Prior to being elected to the *embly in 2012, Weber served on the San Diego Board of Education, and as a Professor of African-American Studies at San Diego State University. A member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, she is the first African American to be elected to the California State Legislature south of Los Angeles.

In December 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Weber as California's secretary of state, succeeding Alex Padilla, whom he had appointed as California's junior United States senator. Weber is the first African American to serve as California's secretary of state and the fifth to serve in a statewide position.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Academics
  • 2.2 Early political career
  • 2.3 California State *embly
  • 2.4 California Secretary of State
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Electoral history
  • 4.1 2012
  • 4.2 2014
  • 4.3 2016
  • 4.4 2018
  • 4.5 2020
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Early life and education

Weber was born in Hope, Arkansas and raised in Los Angeles. Her father was a farmer and left school after sixth grade but encouraged Weber and her seven siblings to prioritize their education. At three years old, she and her family fled their farm and moved west after her father refused to back down in a dispute with a white farmer and a lynch mob threatened his life. The family relocated to the Pueblo Del Rio housing projects in South Los Angeles where Weber grew up. She earned a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and PhD in communication from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career

Academics

Weber is a professor emerita of Africana studies at San Diego State University. She helped to establish that department in 1972 and became its chair, teaching there for 40 years. She was president of the National Council for Black Studies from 2002 to 2006.

Early political career

She served as a board member and later president of the San Diego Board of Education from 1988 to 1996. She also served as Chairwoman of the San Diego Citizens’ Equal Opportunity Commission.

California State *embly

In Fall 2011, she was recruited to run for office in the California State *embly by Toni Atkins. In November 2012, Weber won election to the state *embly with 61.7% of the vote, defeating her Republican opponent, Mary England.

During her time in the *embly, Weber was a member of the California *embly's Committee on Higher Education. She promoted the development of a state university location in Chula Vista as a satellite or extension campus of the California State University system. In 2020, Weber aut*d Senate Bill 3121, which created a reparations task force to study how to redress slavery in California; the task force met for the first time in 2021.

California Secretary of State

Weber speaks at the signing of the AB392 bill

On December 22, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Weber to the position of Secretary of State of California to replace newly-appointed Senator Alex Padilla, effective upon confirmation by the California State Legislature. Weber is the first African American to serve as Secretary of State. Weber was sworn in on January 29, 2021, having been confirmed unanimously by the state senate the day before. As secretary of state, Weber played a central role in administering the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election that targeted Governor Newsom.

Personal life

Weber's husband, Judge Daniel Weber, died in 2002. She has two children and three grandchildren. Her daughter, Akilah Weber, is a surgeon and was a member of the La Mesa City Council from 2018 to 2021. On April 19, 2021, Akilah was sworn in by her mother to succeed her in the California State *embly after winning in a special election.

Electoral history

2012

See also: California State *embly election, 2012

2014

See also: California State *embly elections, 2014

2016

See also: California State *embly election, 2016

2018

See also: California State *embly election, 2018

2020

See also: California State *embly election, 2020

References

External links

• Government website
• Campaign website
• Appearances on C-SPAN

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Join California Shirley Weber