Julia Brownley

Julia Brownley was first elected to Congress in 2012 to serve as the Representative for California’s 26th District, which encompasses most of Ventura County and a portion of Los Angeles County, including the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Camarillo, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, along with some areas of Simi Valley.

Brownley began her career in public service in 1994 after deciding to run for the local school board as a way to advocate for a better education for her daughter, who had dyslexia, and other special-needs students. She won and served on the school board for three subsequent terms working to ensure that local schools provided a quality education for every student in the district. She was elected to the California State Legislature in 2006, where she served as Chairwoman of the Assembly Education Committee for four years. She also served on every educational committee in the Assembly, including the Committee on Higher Education, Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance, and the State Allocation Board.

After graduating with a B.A. in political science from George Washington University and earning an M.B.A. from American University, Congresswoman Brownley held several marketing positions with private businesses before finding her true calling in public service. She resides in Westlake Village, in Ventura County, and has two children: Hannah, who works for an international aid organization, and Fred, who graduated from UCLA Medical School and is currently a physician at UCSF Medical Center.