Josh Lowenthal

Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) is a businessman-turned-legislator who currently serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, representing the 69th Assembly District encompassing Long Beach, Signal Hill, Carson, and Catalina Island ^[1,2]. While Lowenthal's overall voting record reflects mainstream progressive positions that diverge from CFC priorities on many social issues, his signature legislative work on protecting children from social media harm and limiting smartphone use in schools represents a genuine and meaningful area of shared concern with families of faith ^[3,4]. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Lowenthal'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).

Joshua Alder Lowenthal was born on February 15, 1970, in Long Beach, California, into a family deeply rooted in public service. His father, Alan Lowenthal, served in both the California State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, while his mother, Bonnie Lowenthal, was a former member of the California State Assembly. His brother Daniel serves as a Superior Court judge.

Rather than immediately following his parents into politics, Lowenthal built a career in the private sector. He worked as a local teacher, owned restaurants in the Long Beach area, and found his greatest business success in the technology sector. He joined FreeConferenceCall.com in 2010, rising from Managing Director of International Operations to Chief Operating Officer in 2013 and then President in 2016, helping deploy the conferencing service to 50 countries worldwide.

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.

Lowenthal serves on the Assembly committees for Business and Professions, Communications and Conveyance, Education, and Privacy and Consumer Protection, and chairs the Select Committee on the Independent Restaurant Industry in California. He also serves on select committees for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Ports and Goods Movement.