Cottie Petrie-Norris

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) represents the 73rd Assembly District, encompassing the Orange County communities of Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Tustin ^[1,2]. First elected in 2018 after defeating Republican incumbent Matthew Harper in the old 74th District, Petrie-Norris is a Yale-educated businesswoman and mother of two who has built a legislative record spanning public safety, mental health services, veterans housing, and energy policy ^[2,3]. While her voting record frequently diverges from CFC priorities on social issues, she has championed notable child-protection efforts, including authoring AB 2924, the End Child Marriage Act, and has advocated for increased penalties for child sex trafficking and fentanyl distribution to minors ^[4,5]. With a 21% CFC Biblical Values Scorecard rating, Petrie-Norris's voting record has frequently 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).

Catherine Ann "Cottie" Petrie-Norris was born on August 7, 1975, in San Diego, California. She grew up in San Diego County in a working-class household; her stepfather was a union machinist and her mother was a homemaker who worked various odd jobs to help make ends meet ^[1,2].

Petrie-Norris entered electoral politics in 2018 when she ran for the California State Assembly in the 74th District, motivated by what she described as Orange County residents being shortchanged by Sacramento ^[1,2]. She defeated Republican incumbent Matthew Harper, becoming part of the wave of Democratic victories in traditionally conservative Orange County that year.

Her 15.9% Biblical Values Scorecard rating across 104 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.

To date, Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris has had 48 bills signed into law and has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for Orange County projects ^[2,3]. She has been recognized as Legislator of the Year by the California Life Sciences Association, the California Family Business Association, and the California PACE Association, and has received the Watershed Champion Award, the Sierra Club's Political Leadership Award, and TechNet's Champion of Innovation Award ^[2,3].