Rebecca Bauer-KahanIncumbent
Candidate for Assembly District 16
Rebecca Bauer-Kahan sits in the California State Assembly. She is the Democratic incumbent, for District 16. That seat covers the Lamorinda and Tri-Valley areas, in the East Bay. She has held it since she first won, in 2018. That year, she beat the incumbent, Catharine Baker. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned it in 2000. She also holds a J.D., from Georgetown University Law Center. She earned that in 2004. Before she went into politics, she practiced environmental law. She worked first in Washington, D.C., and then in California. She worked on tech patent cases, and on corporate environmental cases too. She served as a lawyer for refugees, with a group called the International Refugee Assistance Project. She also taught law, as a professor at Santa Clara University and Golden Gate University. She has said she went into politics after the 2016 election for president. In the Assembly, she leads the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. She has also chaired the Select Committee on Reproductive Health. She also sits on the Insurance, Judiciary, Natural Resources, and Utilities and Energy committees. She won 101,017 votes (65.6%) in the June 2026 primary, according to the Secretary of State's certified Statement of Vote, and she advanced from it. She faces Republican Joseph Rubay in the November 2026 election. Born October 28, 1978. Home: she represents District 16, the Lamorinda and Tri-Valley area, in the East Bay. Sources do not agree on where she actually lives, in Orinda or in San Ramon. Occupation: she works full time, as a member of the California State Assembly. Before that, she was a lawyer, working in environmental and immigration law. Prior office: she has been the incumbent since 2018. That is when she was first elected, beating the incumbent Catharine Baker. She won again in 2020, in 2022, and in 2024.
On the issues
- Economy & Jobs
Has authored consumer-facing business regulation legislation, including a bill addressing gender-based price discrimination (the "pink tax") and AI-related business regulation, but no broad statement on jobs, wages, minimum wage, or labor unions was found.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Has authored gun-safety legislation aimed at closing firearm-transfer loopholes.
Source → - Criminal Justice & Courts
Authored legislation expanding legal protections for human trafficking victims.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Has authored legislation on mental health crisis response and medical privacy.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Has been a lead legislative advocate for reproductive rights and access, authoring multiple bills to protect abortion providers and patients and chairing California's first Select Committee on Reproductive Health.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Has a legislative and professional background centered on environmental protection, including authoring anti-plastic-pollution legislation and serving on relevant Assembly committees.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.