Gregg Hart

Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) has represented California's 37th Assembly District since December 2022, bringing over four decades of public service experience spanning roles as a Planning Commissioner, City Council member, Coastal Commissioner, and County Supervisor ^[1,2]. A lifelong Santa Barbara resident and former preschool owner for over 20 years, Hart's legislative priorities include environmental protections, education, public safety, and tackling the housing and homelessness crises ^[2,3]. While his policy positions frequently diverge from CFC priorities on social and cultural issues, his deep roots in early childhood education and his focus on supporting nonprofits that serve vulnerable communities reflect a genuine commitment to strengthening families and local institutions ^[3,4]. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Hart's voting record has consistently placed him at considerable distance from the California Family Council's worldview framework on the sanctity of life (Chapter 6), parental authority in education (Chapter 8), and religious liberty (Chapter 9).

Gregg Hart was born on August 24, 1959, and grew up in Santa Barbara, California, where he attended local public schools, graduating from San Marcos Senior High School in 1977. He went on to earn credits at Santa Barbara City College before completing a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984 ^[1,2]. Hart's dedication to public service was inspired by his parents: his mother worked as an elementary school teacher and his father served as the Library Director for the City and County of Santa Barbara ^[2,3]. Hart lives in Santa Barbara.

Hart's career in elected office is extensive. He served on the Santa Barbara Planning Commission from 1987 to 1995, and beginning in 1995 was elected to four terms on the Santa Barbara City Council, serving from 1996 to 2004 and again from 2013 to 2018, totaling approximately 13 years on the council ^[1,2]. During his first stint on the council, Governor Gray Davis appointed him to the California Coastal Commission, where he served from 2000 to 2004 ^[1,2]. In 2018, Hart won the Second District seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, succeeding longtime supervisor Janet Wolf. He was unanimously elected chairman of the Board in 2020 and played a key role in leading the county's COVID-19 response and recovery efforts ^[1,2,5].

His 14.9% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 74 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. His voting record has supported abortion access expansion over the sanctity of human life, government-directed education over parental authority and school choice, and progressive social mandates over religious liberty protections.

From a CFC perspective, Hart's legislative record reflects a standard progressive Democratic orientation on most social and cultural policy matters, and families of faith in his district will find areas of significant policy divergence. However, his deep personal commitment to early childhood education through 20 years of running a preschool, his focus on protecting vulnerable homeowners and nonprofits serving at-risk communities, and his bipartisan FACTS Act to ensure accountability in in-custody deaths demonstrate a legislator who takes seriously the dignity of human life and the well-being of families and communities. His extensive local government experience and strong constituent service record make him an accessible representative, and CFC families in the 37th District would benefit from engaging his office on matters of shared concern, particularly around children's welfare, education, and support for community-serving nonprofits ^[1,2,3,4,7].