Senator Ben Allen represents California's 24th Senate District, encompassing Westside Los Angeles, the South Bay, and the Santa Monica Mountains. [1,2] A three-term senator first elected in 2014, Allen is term-limited and ineligible for re-election in 2026. [1] He has focused his legislative career on environmental regulation, election reform, and arts education. [2] With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Allen's voting record has consistently diverged 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).
Benjamin J. Allen was born on March 13, 1978, and raised in Santa Monica in a Jewish family. [1,2] His father served on the UCLA English faculty and his mother was a public school teacher. [2] He earned a B.A. in History magna cum laude from Harvard, a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge, and a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law. [1,2] Before entering politics, he worked as Communications Director for a U.S. Representative, practiced law, and served as a nonprofit attorney. [2] He served on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board from 2008 to 2014 before winning his Senate seat. [1]
Allen's most prominent legislation is SB 54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (2022), which requires all covered packaging to be recyclable or compostable within ten years. [2] He has also authored climate legislation including SB 867, a $10 billion climate bond, and co-chairs the Legislature's Environmental Caucus. [2] On election reform, he authored the Voter's Choice Act of 2016. [2]
On the issues central to CFC's mission, Allen's record reflects the progressive Democratic caucus position across the board. His 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating reflects a pattern of supporting 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. He announced his candidacy for California Insurance Commissioner in 2026. [1]
Allen resides in Santa Monica with his wife Melanie and their two children. [2]
[1] "Ben Allen," Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/Ben_Allen, Retrieved March 2026.
[2] "Biography," Senator Ben Allen, https://sd24.senate.ca.gov/biography, Retrieved March 2026.
[3] "Ben Allen," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Allen_(politician), Retrieved March 2026.
[4] "Ben Allen," CalMatters Digital Democracy, https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/ben-allen, Retrieved March 2026.
