Born and raised in the Midwest, I developed a strong sense of community responsibility.  After graduating from Brown University with an Honors Degree in Economics, I served the community as a high school Economics and American History teacher for over 20 years. 

I was elected to the Ventura City Council in 1993 and served until 1997. There I co-authored the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives that have made Ventura County a national leader in land-use planning.  Elected 20 years ago to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, I have spent my life in public service advocating for our most vulnerable communities.  In my time as an elected leader, I authored one of the State’s toughest campaign finance reform laws; helped create the first-of-its-kind Farmworker Resource Center, beat back opposition to the creation of Ventura’s first municipal homeless shelter, led efforts to improve conditions for foster children, ensured that seniors in nursing facilities receive a weekly visit by an Ombudsman solely focused on their welfare, all while bringing fiscally responsible policies to government. 

As I did in my first term in the Assembly, I will work towards infusing more urgency into efforts to effectively address climate change, increasing storage capacity of renewable energy, improving the efficiency and accountability of state agencies, increasing the stock of truly affordable housing and serving the residents of Ventura County with honest and timely access.  Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines on these important issues and I look forward to leading our efforts again in Sacramento.  

My name is Daniel Wilson and I am a working-class transgender veteran choosing to run with no party preference for California’s 38th Assembly District so that there will never be a party, corporate, or any other special interest standing between me and the needs of my constituents. 

I was born and raised in Maryland by a dedicated single mom that worked 2-3 jobs to ensure our survival. I started working at 14, came out as a lesbian at 16, and graduated from high school eight months after 9/11. Despite working 2-3 jobs myself after graduating high school, I still struggled to survive and the 2008 economic collapse all but guaranteed I would be unable to break the poverty ceiling in my hometown with my current skill set. I decided to join the United States Navy at 24 to empower myself with the tools necessary to achieve a better life. 

I served four years as an aviation structural mechanic at a time when boots were still on the ground nearly a decade after 9/11 and honorably discharged in 2013. Following my separation from the military, I was finally able to marry the love of my life and begin my gender-affirming transition. During this time I was also blessed to become the first generation in my family to earn a degree after utilizing my G.I. Bill to begin my educational path to become a college history professor right here at Oxnard College.

It was all of these experiences combined with the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign that came together to ignite the political fire that galvanized me to get involved in tackling the problems facing our community. Since that time I began volunteering at the polls, got hired at our local county office, and am now running for State Assembly to fight for a better California, for all of Us!