Robert Rivas

Robert Rivas is Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was elected to represent the 30th Assembly District in 2018 and the 29th District in 2022. Prior to being elected Speaker, he served as the chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and as vice-chair of the influential Latino Legislative Caucus. During his tenure in the assembly, he has championed legislation to improve California’s supply of affordable housing, increase workplace health and safety protections, create the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, and secure the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included critical efforts related to access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and health care. A longtime champion of the environment, he won bipartisan support for the Oil Transportation Safety Act, which improved the state’s preparedness to protect coastal regions after a potential spill of non-floating oil. Further, he has led efforts to accelerate the construction of renewable energy and ensure the state explores all options to use public lands and oceans to effectively sequester carbon. Prior to becoming an assemblymember, he served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University.