By Edward Henderson, California Black Media
Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) serves California’s 18th Assembly District (East Bay). She was first elected in a special election on Aug.31, 2021.
Bonta, who says she is guided by a long-standing commitment to educational equity, community safety, and expanding opportunities for working families, has built a legislative record focused on addressing systemic inequities through prevention-focused, community-driven solutions.
Raised in a Puerto Rican family that valued public service, she has spent her career advocating for resources that strengthen schools, expand access to childcare and healthcare, and remove bureaucratic barriers that disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income communities.
Her work, she says, reflects a deep belief in uplifting historically underserved neighborhoods, ensuring families can afford to live and thrive in the East Bay, and protecting the social safety nets that help vulnerable residents meet basic needs.
Throughout 2025, Bonta’s efforts emphasized dignity, access, and fairness across issues ranging from maternal health and immigration to youth justice reform. While celebrating hard-won policy victories shaped by community advocates and impacted families, she has also been candid about the persistence of deeply rooted challenges –particularly for young people navigating systems that too often prioritize punishment over support.
California Black Media (CBM) spoke with Bonta about her successes and disappointments in 2025 and her outlook for the new year.
What stands out to you as your most important achievement last year and why?
I was proud to lead AB 1261, expanding access to legal counsel for immigrant youth. I came into the Legislature to fight for our children, and with the federal administration openly targeting young people for deportation, this bill was a labor of love. No child should be forced to stand alone in a courtroom, navigating a legal process they don’t understand, often in a language they don’t speak. That is not who we are as Californians. I’m grateful my colleagues and our governor agreed.
How did your leadership last year contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians?
I led AB 1376 to reform our youth probation system, which for too long has kept young people trapped in cycles of law enforcement contact and contributed to the school-to-prison pipeline. Of the more than 10,000 young Californians navigating probation, 86% are youth of color. Under prior law, non-custodial wardship probation often came with as many as 50 separate requirements, each one a potential technical violation that could extend supervision and derail healthy adolescent development. Research shows that this instability leads to school disengagement, employment barriers, and repeated involvement with the system.
AB 1376 limits the length of probation and requires that conditions be individualized, developmentally appropriate, proportional, and not excessive, to provide real, immediate relief for youth across the state.
What frustrated you the most last year?
It has been frustrating to operate under yet another Trump administration rather than one that could have been led by a daughter of Oakland. With deep cuts to health care, violent immigration raids, and rising costs, the challenges facing California families have only grown. But these pressures also make the work we’re doing more urgent.
What inspired you the most last year?
I am constantly inspired by the people of AD-18 – Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. They never give up, never back away from a righteous fight, and continue to push forward even when the odds are stacked high. Their resilience fuels my own, especially in the hardest moments.
What is one lesson you learned in 2025 that will inform your decision-making in 2026?
We are strongest when we fight together. Last year, I was especially proud of the broad coalition we built to secure funding for the RIGHT Grant, which allows community-based organizations to provide critical in-person rehabilitation services inside our state prisons. Even in a tough budget year, we were able to elevate this as a priority because we demonstrated how wide and deep the support was.
In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians are facing currently?
Trump.
What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2026?
In 2026, I look forward to fighting to protect health care access, advancing smart and effective public safety policies, and continuing to invest in communities that have been overlooked for far too long.