Entering his fifth term in the Assembly, Asm. Ash Kalra continues to provide balanced leadership to progressive legislative causes, and earns his seventh appearance on the All-Star list. The Chair Emeritus of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus, he has been an effective and influential presence in the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus since his election in 2016. Asm. Kalra had a long career as a Santa Clara County Public Defender and San Jose City Councilmember before joining the State Assembly, and has continued to focus his legislative work around environmental protection, workers’ rights, justice reform, and housing policy. In 2024, he authored and co-authored bills to improve social protections, including AB 2288 to strengthen labor law and create worker protections against retaliation, AB 2347 to extend the time that a tenant has to respond to an eviction notification, AB 1042 to require that seeds treated with pesticides be labeled, and AB 1864 that strengthens reporting requirements for pesticides used within a quarter mile of a school site. As Chair of the Standing Committee on Judiciary, Asm. Kalra has been a consistent advocate of criminal justice reform, and authored three bills this year to address inadequacies, including AB 3021 to establish law enforcement requirements for the way that law enforcement communicates with the family of individuals killed by police, AB 2441 to eliminate the requirement that school personnel report student behavior and drug possession issues to law enforcement, and AB 2773 to strengthen legal protections against elder abuse. A seasoned lawmaker, Asm. Kalra embodies the competent progressive leadership that has pushed California leftward across policy issues in recent years.