Nationality American | Preceded by Rod Diridon Spouse Pat Lafkas (m. 1983) Name Jim Beall | |
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Office California State Assembly member since 2006 Similar People Nora Campos, Jerry Hill, Bob Wieckowski, Kansen Chu, Bill Monning Profiles | ||
Sb562 jim beall ca state senator sacramento 5 19 2017
James Thomas Beall, Jr. (born December 7, 1951) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 15th Senate District, which encompasses the South Bay and Silicon Valley.
Contents
- Sb562 jim beall ca state senator sacramento 5 19 2017
- Early life and education
- Santa Clara County roles
- District 15 of California Senate
- Personal life
- Awards
- References
Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2012, Beall served as a member of the California State Assembly representing the 24th Assembly District. Before his time in the Legislature, he served a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, as well as a member of the San Jose City Council.
Early life and education
James Thomas Beall, Jr. was born on December 7, 1952 in San Jose, California. He graduated from San Jose State University.
Santa Clara County roles
Beall served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors from 1994 until 2006, prior to which he served 14 years on the San Jose City Council. As a councilman and county supervisor, Beall served two decades on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, where he lobbied commissioners to select the extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system to San Jose as a top priority project, enabling it to eventually receive $900 million in federal funding. In the spring of 2012, Valley Transportation Authority and BART officials broke ground on the extension.
District 15 of California Senate
In 2011, Beall announced his candidacy for the new District 15 seat of the California State Senate. He won the June 2012 primary election, finishing more than 11 percent ahead of his opponent, fellow Democrat Joe Coto, and again in the general election in November 2012, defeating Coto 57% to 42%. He officially took the position on December 3, 2012, taking the role from his predecessor Elaine Alquist (after rezoning).
He is currently serving in the California State Senate as a Democrat representing the 15th Senate District, which encompasses the South Bay and Silicon Valley.
Personal life
On July 9, 1983, he and Patricia F. "Pat" Lafkas were married. He has two stepsons, Gregory B. Chubb (born November 7, 1967) and Mark J. Chubb (born June 16, 1970). Beall is a vegetarian. Beall Jr. also graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Political Science.