Damon Connolly

Damon Connolly is a Democratic member of the California State Assembly representing the 12th District, which encompasses Marin County and portions of southern Sonoma County. ^[1,3] An attorney and Bay Area native who earned both his undergraduate degree in economics and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, ^[1,2] Connolly served on the San Rafael City Council for over a decade — including three terms as mayor — before winning his Assembly seat in 2022. ^[1,2] With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Connolly's legislative record has consistently diverged from the California Family Council's priorities. His progressive orientation on environmental regulation, firearms restrictions, and expanded government programs reflects a vision of governance that CFC's framework views as overreaching into domains properly belonging to families, churches, and local communities (Chapter 11). His support for legislation expanding abortion access and restricting parental rights in education places him at odds with CFC's core convictions on the sanctity of life (Chapter 6) and parental authority (Chapter 8).

Connolly was elected to the Assembly in November 2022, defeating Sara Aminzadeh in the general election, and won re-election in 2024 over Andrew Podshadley. ^[1] He currently chairs the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials and serves on the Agriculture, Budget, Judiciary, and Natural Resources committees, as well as the Budget Subcommittee on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation.

Connolly's legislative record reflects a strong progressive orientation on environmental regulation, firearms restrictions, and public health. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, his positions have consistently placed him at odds with CFC's worldview framework. His support for expanded regulatory authority differs from CFC's principle of subsidiarity — that decisions should be made at the most local level possible.