Orinda resident Rebecca Bauer-Kahan is District 16’s newly elected state assemblywoman.
This January, Orinda resident Rebecca Bauer-Kahan will be heading to Sacramento to represent District 16 in the State Assembly for the first time.
Bauer-Kahan defeated incumbent Catherine Baker in a close race that finally came to a conclusion on Nov. 16, after days of ballot counting in both Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Election night had Baker in the lead, but as mail-in and provisional ballots continued to roll in, the race tightened with Bauer-Kahan ultimately pulling ahead to receive 51.13 percent compared to Baker’s 48.87 percent of the vote (at press time). Although there were still a small number of ballots left to count, by Nov. 16 Bauer-Kahan had enough votes to ensure a win and Baker called her opponent to concede the race.
Bauer-Kahan is an attorney, community activist and mother who lives with her husband Darren and three children in Orinda. She first announced her plans to run for State Assembly in September 2017 and was endorsed by the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
Speaking about her win, Bauer-Kahan states, “I am truly honored and humbled that the voters of Assembly District 16 have selected me to represent them in Sacramento. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for them and the issues important to our community.”
Members of the State Assembly will be sworn in on Monday, Dec. 3 and the new legislature will be in session starting Jan. 7, 2019.
