Ash Kalra
- Assembly: 2016-present
News coverage of Ash Kalra
Bio
Ash Kalra, 54, was the first Indian American to be elected to the Assembly when he assumed office in 2016. Previously he was on the San Jose City Council. He was a deputy public defender for Santa Clara County. He’s been a law professor at Lincoln Law School of San Jose. He has a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and a law degree from Georgetown University. As former chair of the progressive caucus, he advocated for single-payer healthcare and the rights of those who’ve faced systemic racism in the justice system. He’s a vegan and the chair of the Assembly Select Committee On Alternative Protein Innovation.
Ideology
Left
Moderate
Right
Bill Activity
0
Of 20 bills:For this session year, this legislator initiated 20 bills: 12 passed, 1 failed, and 7 are currently pending.
Alignment Meter
See all-time percentage of this legislator’s alignment with any organization based on total votes.
Financials
This feature tracks three sources of money intended to help a candidate win election: 1-Money given directly to a candidate’s committee, 2-Money given to an Independent Expenditure Committee, 3-Money given to a political party. (NOTE: Senators are elected every four years. Twenty of the 40 Senators are on the ballot in even-numbered years, so Senators may do little or no fundraising in the first two-year session of their Senate term).
Election
This display shows money given directly to the incumbent’s campaign committee (NOTE: The industry categories for donors come from Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research organization for campaign finance. Some contributions are “uncoded,” meaning they have not been assigned to an industry sector. As a result, the total for each sector is also an estimate).
Communications & Electronics
Energy & Natural Resources
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
General Business
Government Agencies/Education/Other
Health
Ideology/Single Issue
Labor
Lawyers & Lobbyists
Party
Transportation
Uncoded
Unitemized Contributions
Candidate Donations
Individuals, corporations, organizations and committees are limited to a maximum donation to candidates of $5,500 for the primary and for the general elections.
50.0% higher than the average legislators
Independent Expenditures
Money from Independent Expenditure Committees (IEC) for advertising or grassroots activity targeting a candidates run for office is unlimited, but it cannot be spent in coordination with the candidate or the candidate's campaign.
100.0% lower than the average legislators
Grand Total for Elections
26.0% higher than the average legislators
This is a total of the money targeting this legislator's campaign(s) including direct donations to the candidate, money spent by Independent Expenditure Committees and money from political parties.
Influence
There are three categories of donations to legislators after they are elected that encourage a working relationship between the donor and the legislator. The three categories are: 1-Gifts, 2-Travel, 3-Behests.
Giver | Value | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA Democratic Party | $60.99 | Aug 24, 2021 | lunch |
| CA Tribal Business Alliance | $53.22 | Jul 14, 2021 | food, beverages and entertainment |
| Rendon for Assembly 2020 | $24.64 | Jan 28, 2021 | Photo book pictures of Organizational session & swearing in |
| Asm. Reyes | $7.5 | Mar 4, 2021 | mask |
Gifts
Legislators are not allowed to accept gifts of more than $10 per month from registered lobbyists. Gifts from any other single source are limited to $590 in a calendar year.
Gift Received Rating
This legislator is ranked 66th highest for the amount of personal gifts received.
Policy
Bills Authored by Ash Kalra
Committee: Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety
Committee: Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and Employment
Committee: Assembly Standing Committee on Public Safety
Committee: Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary
Committees
Most of the policy work in the state Capitol is done in “Standing” committees. Legislators also work on budget subcommittees. There are also “Special” and “Select” committees with a more narrow topic focus. And there are “Joint” committees with members from the Senate and Assembly.
Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary
Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Community Development
Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and Employment
Assembly Standing Committee on Natural Resources
Assembly Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy
Interest Group Rankings
Generally Aligned
Hearings
Featured Comments
Below are links to the video and transcript of recent, substantive comments by this legislator in committee hearings or floor sessions.
District
Previous Election (2024):
Party Registration
Key
District
State
Census Data
Median age