Jessica Caloza

Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D-Eagle Rock) made history in 2024 as the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature, now representing the diverse communities of Assembly District 52 spanning East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, and South Glendale ^[1,2]. Born in Quezon City, Philippines, and raised in Eagle Rock by working-class immigrant parents, Caloza brings a deeply personal immigrant story and a career spanning federal, state, and local government service to Sacramento, where she serves as Assistant Majority Whip ^[2,3,4]. With a 15% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Caloza's voting record has consistently placed her 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).

Jessica Caloza was born in Quezon City, Philippines, the youngest of six children in a working-class family. Her mother, originally from Quezon City, worked as a cashier at gas stations and the 99 Cents store before attending vocational school and retiring as a nursing assistant. Her father, an Ilocano from Pangasinan, worked his way up from janitor to hospital orderly.

Caloza launched her career in public service as a community organizer for President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign in Virginia, which led to a Presidential appointment in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education (2013-2015). In that role, she worked on higher education policy, Congressional and legislative affairs, student data and privacy, immigration policy, and gender equity issues, with a particular focus on helping underfunded schools access more resources ^[1,2,5].

Her 13.8% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 29 scored floor votes reflects consistent divergence from CFC's worldview framework. Her 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 the perspective of California Family Council's priorities, Caloza presents a mixed picture that merits honest assessment. Her legislative agenda includes support for abortion access and progressive positions on social issues that diverge from CFC's mission of defending the sanctity of life and traditional family values ^[4,8]. However, there are genuine areas of alignment worth noting. Her emphasis on affordable housing and reducing the cost of living directly supports family stability -- a core CFC concern.